KESP

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}

{{Infobox radio station

| name = KESP

| logo = KESP logo.png

| logo_size = 200px

| city = Modesto, California

| country = US

| area = Modesto, California

| branding = Sportsradio 970

| frequency = 970 kHz

| airdate = {{start date|1951|11|1}} (as KBOX)

| format = Sports

| power = 1,000 watts

| class = B

| facility_id = 11233

| coordinates = {{coord|37|41|23|N|120|57|12|W|region:US-CA_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

| callsign_meaning = ESPN (former affiliation)

| former_callsigns = {{ubl|KBOX (1951–1956)|KBEE (1956–1983)|KHYV (1983–1988)|KOOK (1988–1992)|KBEE (1992–1996)|KBUL (1996–1998)|KANM (1998–2000)}}

| affiliations = {{ubl|Infinity Sports Network|Modesto Nuts Minor League Baseball|Pacific Tigers College Basketball}}

| owner = Cumulus Media

| licensee = Radio License Holding CBC, LLC

| sister_stations = KATM-FM, KDJK/KHKK, KHOP, KJOY, KWIN/KWNN

| webcast =

| website = {{URL|https://www.sportsradio970.com/}}

| licensing_authority= FCC

}}

KESP (970 AM) is a sports radio station in Modesto, California, United States. The station serves Modesto, Stockton, Lodi, and surrounding communities of the northern San Joaquin Valley. It is owned by Cumulus Media.{{cite web |url=http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?call=KESP |title=KESP Facility Record |work=United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division |access-date=2010-07-19}} Its studios are in Stockton, and its transmitter is located in Modesto.

KESP is the flagship station of the Modesto Nuts of the Low-A West baseball league, and the flagship station of Pacific Tigers college basketball team. It is also a member of the San Francisco Giants, San Francisco 49ers, San Jose Sharks, Golden State Warriors, and California Golden Bears radio networks. Most of its daily programming, as the call letters imply, came from ESPN Radio, until January 2, 2013, when KESP switched to CBS Sports Radio.

KESP gained its current call sign, and format, in the early 2000s. Other call signs used since it came on the air in 1951 were: KBOX (1951–1956), KBEE (1956–1983), KHYV (1983–1988), KOOK (1988–1992(?)/1996(?)),[http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/KBOX%20History.html Modesto Radio Museum] (retrieved 2009-05-13). Note, however, that the [http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=11233&Callsign=KESP FCC Call Sign History Database] (retrieved 2009-05-13) indicates that the station was KBEE in 1992–1996. KBUL (1996–1998), and KANM (1998–2000).

The station was owned by the McClatchy family, which also owned McClatchy Newspapers, publisher of the Modesto Bee. The McClatchy Company later sold the station to Citadel Broadcasting, which merged with Cumulus Media on September 16, 2011.{{cite news|title=Cumulus now owns Citadel Broadcasting|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2011/09/16/cumulus-now-owns-citadel-broadcasting.html|access-date=September 16, 2011|newspaper=Atlanta Business Journal|date=September 16, 2011}}

In a sports-related note, Kevin McClatchy, a member of the publishing family, owned the Pittsburgh Pirates until the team was sold to Robert Nutting in 2007.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}

KESP carried Oakland Athletics baseball as an affiliate of the Oakland Athletics Radio Network through the 2024 season. Following the temporary move of the Athletics (A's) to West Sacramento as part of their relocation to Las Vegas, and the move of the team's Sacramento radio broadcasts from KHTK to KSTE, the A's released an affiliate list that did not include KESP.{{cite news |last1=Biderman |first1=Chris |title=A’s announce new flagship radio station in Sacramento. Here’s what is not changing |url=https://www.sacbee.com/sports/article300334119.html |access-date=February 15, 2025 |work=The Sacramento Bee |date=February 14, 2025}} On March 4, 2025, the station annnounced that it had joined the San Francisco Giants Radio Network.{{cite news |title=News Bites: KESP, Tavis Smiley, WERS, ‘Chubb Rock Show,’ ‘KD Country 94.’ |url=https://www.insideradio.com/free/news-bites-kesp-tavis-smiley-wers-chubb-rock-show-kd-country-94/article_5e77c8e6-f93f-11ef-9c6b-97dc6adb7721.html |access-date=March 4, 2025 |work=Inside Radio |date=March 4, 2025 |language=en}}