KDBV

Allen C. Bigham, Jr., received a construction permit for a new daytime-only radio station to broadcast in Salinas on August 28, 1962.{{r|hc}} Bigham had previously been a disc jockey for KDON in Salinas under the name "Johnny Dark".{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/81674762/|accessdate=July 17, 2021|date=August 30, 1962|title=New Radio Station for Salinas Set|work=Salinas Californian|page=18}} Programming began on July 17, 1963, with Bigham itself as one of the air staff.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/81674835/through-the-business-streets/|title=Through the Business Streets|page=17|work=Salinas Californian|accessdate=July 17, 2021|date=July 22, 1963}} The original call letters were KCTY, and the station called itself "The Sound of Your City".{{Cite news|title=The most-listened-to personalities in the tri-county area are on The Sound of Your City, KCTY|page=3|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/81675234/the-most-listened-to-personalities-in-th/|work=Salinas Californian|accessdate=July 17, 2021|date=September 5, 1963}}

The new radio station faced an existential threat just three years after signing on when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated its license renewal for hearing for violations including an unauthorized transfer of control, illegal broadcast of a lottery, and falsifying logs.{{cite news|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1966/1966-07-18-BC.pdf|page=68|title=FCC sets hearing on KCTY's renewal bid|work=Broadcasting|date=July 18, 1966|accessdate=July 17, 2021}} In late 1967, hearing examiner Basil Cooper proposed renewal of the license for a short term of one year and a $10,000 fine against KCTY, then its statutory maximum. Cooper admonished Bigham for his "cavalier attitude of assuming everything is all right [at the station] while he stayed in bed", with either him or his engineer at times being too lazy to sign the station on each day.{{Cite news|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1967/1967-11-06-BC.pdf#page=73|work=Broadcasting|date=November 6, 1967|title=Short-term renewal proposed for KCTY|pages=70C–70D|accessdate=July 17, 2021}}

After the short-term license renewal was granted, Bigham sold KCTY to JECO, a company controlled by James E. Coyle, for $256,000. Coyle specialized in Spanish-language media and had been involved with two Spanish-language radio stations in the Los Angeles area—a good fit for KCTY, which had now become a Spanish-language station.{{cite news|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1968/1968-08-19-BC.pdf|accessdate=July 17, 2021|date=August 19, 1968|work=Broadcasting|title=For the Record|page=46}} Coyle grew the operation by buying the inoperative KERR-FM 103.9, which had been silent in 1973, and returning it to the air as KCTY-FM, which soon after became KRAY-FM. KCTY played more traditional music than the FM station,{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/81677827/|title=Spanish music a 'joyful' cultural product|accessdate=July 17, 2021|work=Salinas Californian|first=Irma|last=Mendoza|page=18|date=September 19, 1979}} and it was also successful in the general market owing to the large Hispanic population in the area: in the fall of 1979, it was the second-rated station in the Arbitron market.{{cite news|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1980/BB-1980-01-26.pdf|accessdate=July 17, 2021|title=Northern California 3-City Mart Led By KDON-FM|page=25|date=January 26, 1980|work=Billboard}}

Both stations were hit in 1980 by a strike among disc jockeys that started when Frances Graciela Chávez, known on air as "Chela", was fired by management for allegedly hoarding some of KCTY-KRAY's record library. Six of nine DJs walked out, and finding replacements proved difficult. Even general manager Marty Kline, who was not a fluent Spanish speaker, was pressed into service to spin records on the late night shift.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/81676917/|accessdate=July 17, 2021|date=February 20, 1980|first=Doug|last=Foster|page=2|work=Salinas Californian|title=Dispute causes disc jockey strike}} In an interview published in The Salinas Californian, Kline made negative comments about the United Farm Workers union that led to secretaries joining the walkout and a retraction of the statements.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/81677042/|accessdate=July 17, 2021|date=February 21, 1980|first=Doug|last=Foster|title=Comments in interview haunt embattled KCTY radio owner|page=2|work=Salinas Californian}}

Coyle sold ownership stakes in his broadcast interests to R & B Management Services and Robert L. Williams in the 1970s; by 1978, just Williams and Coyle were owners.{{r|hc}} Williams continued to own KCTY and KRAY, along with later startup KLXM, which were sold as a unit to Z Spanish Radio Network in 1999 for $4.5 million.{{cite news|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1999/RR-1999-01-15.pdf|accessdate=July 17, 2021|date=January 15, 1999|work=Radio & Records|title=Transactions|page=6}} Most of Z Spanish was purchased by Entravision Communications, but the Central California properties went to Wolfhouse Radio Group Inc., headed by Héctor Villalobos, in 2001 for $5.75 million;{{cite news|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2001/RR-2001-06-15.pdf|accessdate=July 17, 2021|work=Radio & Records|date=June 15, 2001|title=Transactions|page=6}} the call letters were changed to KDBV. Centro Cristiano Vida Abundante acquired the station in 2004.{{cite news|url=https://www.rbr.com/epaper/issue100-04.html|accessdate=July 17, 2021|date=May 21, 2004|title=Transactions|work=Radio Business Report Epaper}}

The station went silent on August 2, 2022, due to repeated failure of its transmitter.{{Cite web|url=https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/draftCopy.html?displayType=html&appKey=25076f9182a8b45a0182f0a42eea1e41&id=25076f9182a8b45a0182f0a42eea1e41&goBack=N|date=September 1, 2022|title=Request for Silent Authority of an AM Station Application|website=Licensing and Management System|publisher=Federal Communications Commission}} The license was then surrendered on July 6, 2023, and cancelled by the FCC on July 7.{{Cite news|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/254465/fcc-report-7-9/|work=RadioInsight|date=July 9, 2023|access-date=July 9, 2023|title=FCC Report 7/9: Climate Change Shut Down Leads To Oxnard Upgrade|first=Lance|last=Venta}}{{cite web|url= https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/publicFacilityDetails.html?facilityId=33755|title=License Cancelled|work=Federal Communications Commission Licensing and Management System|date=July 7, 2023|access-date=December 7, 2023}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/publicFacilityDetails.html?facilityId=33755 Facility details for Facility ID 33755 (KDBV)] in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• [https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=52022 FCC History Cards for KDBV] (covering 1961-1981 as KCTY)

{{Santa Cruz Radio}}

{{Spanish Radio Stations in California}}

DBV

Category:Radio stations established in 1963

Category:1963 establishments in California

Category:Radio stations disestablished in 2023

Category:2023 disestablishments in California

Category:Defunct radio stations in the United States

DBV

DBV

Category:Salinas, California

Category:Defunct religious radio stations in the United States