KGGL

KGGL (93.3 FM, "Eagle 93.3") is a commercial radio station in Missoula, Montana, airing a country music format. It is owned by Townsquare Media.

History

KDXT

On October 15, 1975, Rex Jensen filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a construction permit to build a new radio station on 93.3 MHz in Missoula, with transmitter on Big Sky Mountain.^[1] The permit was granted on May 25, 1976, with the commission dismissing complaints by several other Missoula broadcasters that the new facility would cause interference to their operations.^[2] While the station was intended to launch that fall, equipment delivery and bad weather in the eastern United States prompted the project to be shelved for the winter; KDXT made its debut on April 29, 1977. Having been transferred to the Jensen Broadcasting Company^[1] (owned by Rex and his brother Jack), the station started with an automated rock/adult contemporary hybrid format.^[3]

The Jensens sold the station in February 1979 to a joint venture with Robert E. Ingstad of North Dakota, who became the sole owner in 1980^[1] before KDXT and sister station KGRZ (1450 AM) were sold to Wind Point 1970 Holding Company, which was owned by the S.C. Johnson Company, in 1982.^[4] The two stations were then sold to Sunbrook Communications in 1986; during this time, the station dominated the Missoula radio market.^[5]

KGGL

Sunbrook sold its radio properties—ten in Montana and a pair in Wenatchee, Washington—to Seattle-based Fisher Broadcasting in 1994, with Sunbrook becoming a division of Fisher after the sale was completed.^[6] With the contemporary hit format long associated with KDXT in a national slump, Fisher opted to make a major change. It flipped KGGL to country, taking on established country outlet KYSS, in September 1995. This left Missoula without a station in the contemporary hit radio format.^[5] The format change was a successful one: the fall 2005 Eastlan radio ratings for Missoula showed KGGL tied with public radio station KUFM and beating third-place KYSS.^[7]

In a 24-station sale that was only partially completed, Fisher sold many of its small-market radio properties to Cherry Creek Radio in 2006 in order to fund an expansion into Spanish-language television in major Pacific Northwest markets. The 24 stations contributed just one-fourth of the radio division's revenue, with Fisher's three Seattle stations comprising the rest.^[8]

Effective June 17, 2022, Cherry Creek Radio sold KGGL as part of a 42 station/21 translator package to Townsquare Media for $18.75 million.

References

External links

• Official Website
• KGGL in the FCC FM station database
• KGGL in Nielsen Audio's FM station database

This page was last edited on 30 July 2023, at 18:01