KLBS

KLBS broadcasts a Portuguese-language world music format featuring Portuguese-language news and community information as part of The Portuguese Radio Network.{{cite web |work=Arbitron |url=http://www.arbitron.com/radio_stations/station_information.htm |title=Station Information Profile |accessdate=May 12, 2009}}{{cite web |publisher=KSQQ & KLBS - The Portuguese Radio Network |title=Welcome |url=http://www.klbs.com/welcome |accessdate=May 24, 2017}}{{cite news |work=The Modesto Bee |title=Radio station evolving |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MS&p_theme=ms&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EFD4C9D9CFDE289&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |date=September 2, 2001 |quote=For decades, KLBS 1330 AM has been a comforting source of news, traditional music and commentary to the thousands of people who immigrated here from the Azores.}} KLBS and its sister station, KSQQ(FM), serve the large Portuguese community of California's San Joaquin Valley.{{cite news |work=The Modesto Bee |title=Azores AM: Portuguese-language radio station KLBS in Los Banos is a bridge to the island homeland for many northern and central California immigrants |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MS&p_theme=ms&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EFD4CA0B3579549&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |date=September 3, 2001}}

This station began licensed broadcasting on May 1, 1961, with 500 watts of power on the frequency 1330 kHz, restricted to daytime-only operation.{{cite book |title=1963 Broadcasting Yearbook |year=1963 |page=B-20 |chapter=Directory of AM and FM Radio Stations in the U.S. |publisher=Broadcasting Publications, Inc |location=Washington, DC}} The station was assigned the KLBS call sign by the Federal Communications Commission.{{cite web |title=Call Sign History |url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=19801&Callsign=KLBS |work=FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database |accessdate=May 12, 2009}}

Under the leadership of company president James Rose, license holder Los Banos Broadcasting Company served the diverse local population by including eight hours of farm programming, five hours of Spanish language programming, and seven hours of Portuguese language programming each week. The Portuguese programming included a weekday morning show from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. and a Sunday afternoon block from noon to 2:00 p.m.

John R. McAdam acquired Los Banos Broadcasting Company in 1963.{{cite book |title=1975 Broadcasting Yearbook |chapter=The Facilities of Radio |publisher=Broadcasting Publications, Inc |location=Washington, DC |year=1975 |page=C-19}} McAdam expanded the ethnic programming to as much as 12 hours of Spanish language and 16 hours of Portuguese language programming each week throughout the 1970s.{{cite book |title=1979 Broadcasting Yearbook |chapter=The Facilities of Radio |publisher=Broadcasting Publications, Inc |location=Washington, DC |year=1979 |page=C-23}}

In April 1982, McAdam and Los Banos Broadcasting Company reached an agreement to transfer ownership of KLBS to a new company called Ethnic Radio, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on May 25, 1982.{{cite web |publisher=FCC Media Bureau |title=Application Search Details (BAL-19820412EL) |url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=41531 |date=May 25, 1982}}

KLBS filed an application with the FCC in November 1985 to begin operating around the clock by adding nighttime service with 5,000 watts of power.{{cite web |publisher=FCC Media Bureau |title=Application Search Details (BP-19851120AB) |url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=83567 |date=February 24, 1986}} The FCC granted authorization for this major change on February 24, 1986, and tower installation began in June 1986.{{cite news |first=Joe |last=Thome |work=The Fresno Bee |title=Towers of power |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=FB&p_theme=fb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAE7EE64EBEC888&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |date=June 5, 1986 |quote=Station manager Mike McAdam said KLBS is now only a daytime station but with the new towers will be able to operate 24 hours a day.}} Construction was completed in November 1986 and the station was issued a license to cover the changes on December 3, 1987.{{cite web |url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=94860 |publisher=FCC Media Bureau |title=Application Search Details (BL-19861119AB) |date=December 3, 1987}}

Ethnic Radio, Inc., applied in June 1987 to assign the KLBS broadcast license to the Vieira family's Ethnic Radio of Los Banos, Inc. The transfer was approved by the FCC on July 2, 1987, and the transaction was consummated the same day.{{cite web |publisher=FCC Media Bureau |url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=102152 |title=Application Search Details (BAPL-19870615ED) |date=July 2, 1987}} Broadcasting 90% of its programming in Portuguese, KLBS was then the only radio station in California broadcasting predominantly in the Portuguese language.{{cite news |work=The Fresno Bee |title=Airwaves pulse with old, new |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=FB&p_theme=fb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAE80FC042C099F&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |date=February 27, 1987 |quote=[...] but if you live on the west side of the valley and speak Portuguese, you'll try to hear KLBS (AM 1330). With 90 percent of the programs in Portuguese, the Los Banos station is California's only radio outlet where that language predominates.}} That would change in 1990 when sister station KSQQ signed on with a multi-ethnic format, broadcasting in a dozen languages but with Portuguese language programming taking the bulk of the station's time.{{cite news |work=San Jose Mercury News |title=Foreign talk on FM station in M.H. goes international |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SJ&s_site=mercurynews&p_multi=SJ&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB717AA28DA6265&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |date=January 10, 1991 |page=1B}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Cite web|url= https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=43412 |title= History Cards for KLBS|publisher=Federal Communications Commission}} (Guide to reading History Cards)
• [https://klbs.com/ KLBS official website]

{{AM station data|19801|KLBS}}

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LBS

Category:Los Banos, California

Category:Mass media in Merced County, California

LBS

Category:Portuguese-American culture in California

Category:Portuguese-language radio stations in the United States

Category:Radio stations established in 1961

Category:1961 establishments in California