KGBN

KGBN (1190

The station signed on May 18, 1959 as KEZY, an easy listening station known as "K-Easy".^[2][3] However, during construction and prior to its on-air debut, it was legally known by the call letters KDOG. The first voice heard over the 1,000-watt signal was that of K-9 TV star Lassie. Lassie's owner, Rudd Weatherwax, was an investor in both the station and the Disneyland Hotel where its studios were located. In the late 1960s, KEZY became an Orange County Top 40 powerhouse featuring such disc jockeys as Mark Denis and Mike Wagner. Accompanying the format flip was a move off the Disneyland campus to a larger facility at 1190 East Ball Road in Anaheim, an address corresponding to the station's frequency.

In the late 1970s, programmer Dave Foreman dropped top-40 in favor of an

1980s

Around 1984, KEZY changed its call sign to KPZE (K-Praise). It featured a blend of Christian teaching–preaching programs,

From 1986 to late 1988 Operations Manager and air personality Robin Keith hosted an afternoon drive talk show called "Drivetime 1190" along with co-host Steve DeSaeger. The show featured talk and call-ins, comedy, frequent traffic, news and weather reports as well as interviews with celebrities and experts. Ollie Collins, Jr., of KTYM Inglewood, brokered most of the Sunday hours on KPZE. The morning consisted of a Gospel music show hosted by Collins. Most of the afternoon programs were recorded church services. A good majority of the commercials used his voice. Al Gross (formerly of KBRT AM 740), eventually hosted the morning show. His was mostly talk. He even joked one morning at 6:00 AM sign-on, as the previous program was ending with its closing theme, "The Air That I Breathe" by The Hollies, "KPZE, Anaheim, playing more music than any other talk station."

Around 1988, the call letters were changed to KORG (K-Orange). It broadcast a few games of the Los Angeles Kings hockey team during conflicts with KLAC, the Kings' flagship station at the time. In fact, in one of those games (October 15, 1989), Wayne Gretzky established the National Hockey League's all-time point-scoring record. In 1987 and '88, KORG was an affiliate of RTV Sports, one of the first all-sports radio networks in America. Steve DeSaeger provided local sports updates during RTV programs, which aired seven nights a week.

1990s

In the mid-1990s, Anaheim Broadcasting, a local company that had been the owner, sold the station to

Salem is the nation's largest owner of commercial religious stations. It owned 1190 AM until 2010, as a sister station to 870 KRLA, 99.5 KKLA-FM and 95.9 KFSH-FM.

2000s

The KXMX call sign was derived from KXMX-FM, originally 95.9 KEZY-FM. When that outlet became Contemporary Christian music station KFSH The Fish in 2001, the call letters were reassigned to 1190 AM. Today, the KEZY call sign can be found on 1240 AM in San Bernardino, California under separate ownership. As KXMX, it aired shows in a variety of languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Tagalog.

2010s

In August 2010 the station was sold to the Korean Gospel Broadcasting Network, which switched the format to Korean-language Christian radio programming. On March 29, 2011, KXMX changed its call letters to KGBN.

On April 16, 2017, Rev. Young Sun Lee became president of KGBN AM 1190.

Previous logo

References

External links

• FCC History Cards for KGBN
• Official website
• KGBN in the FCC AM station database
• KGBN in Nielsen Audio's AM station database