KVI

KVI's history can be traced back to {{Start date and age|November 24, 1926}}. It signed on the air on 1280 kilocycles and was licensed to Tacoma. By the spring of 1928 its frequency shifted to 1060 AM, followed by another shift to 760 AM in the fall. By September 1932, it had moved to its permanent home at 570 AM.{{cite web|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1935/Stations-by-State-Broadcasting%20Yearbook%201935%20Complete.pdf|title=Broadcasting Yearbook 1935 page 61}} It was powered at 1,000 watts and was owned by the Puget Sound Broadcasting Company. During the "Golden Age of Radio," KVI was a network affiliate of CBS, carrying its schedule of dramas, comedies, news, sports, game shows, soap operas and big band broadcasts. It also carried programs from the Don Lee Network.

In 1949, KVI relocated its city of license to Seattle and got a boost to 5,000 watts.{{cite web|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1950/RADIO%20&%20TV%20NE-Ter%20YB%201950%20B&W-11.pdf|title=Broadcasting Yearbook 1950 page 316}} KVI broadcast from a single tower on Vashon Island and it moved its studios into the Camlin Hotel in Downtown Seattle. With its arrival in Seattle, it shifted its network to the Mutual Broadcasting System, since KIRO was already the CBS affiliate in Seattle.{{Cite web|title=Seattle Radio History - 570AM (KVI)|date=November 2010 |url=https://vimeo.com/16394615}}

In 1959, Gene Autry's Golden West Broadcasters added KVI to its portfolio.{{cite web|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1960/B%202%20Radio%20Yearbook%201960.pdf|title=Broadcasting Yearbook 1960 page 249}} KVI switched to an adult contemporary format in 1964. By 1973, KVI had evolved into a full service, middle of the road (MOR) direction. It was during this period that it became established as a dominant player in the market. KVI was the flagship station for the ill-fated Seattle Pilots baseball team in their only season of play in 1969. It later became the radio home for the successful Seattle Mariners, from their inaugural season of 1977 until 1984. KVI was also the original home of the Seattle Sounders (NASL) from their inaugural season in 1974 until 1976, and was the westside flagship station of the Washington State University Cougars from 1972 until 1979 and again from 1983 until 1987.{{Cite web|title=1979 KVI "Sports Page" Commercial|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqZ35QaOtlM|website=YouTube}}

In 1976, KVI acquired an FM radio station, KETO at 101.5 MHz.{{cite web|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1977/C-2%20Radio%20Broadcasting%20Yearbook%201977.pdf|title=Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 page 227}} Under Golden West, the new KVI-FM became a successful Adult Top 40 station, now known as KPLZ-FM. With the beginning of the 1980s, music listening on AM radio was shifting to FM and KVI added several talk shows.{{Cite web|title=1983 KVI 570 Promo on KSTW| website=YouTube | date=19 November 2014 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulN1mU2uqo4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/ulN1mU2uqo4 |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}

On July 23, 1984, KVI switched to oldies.{{Cite web |date=July 20, 1984 |title=Radio & Records |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/1980s/1984/RR-1984-07-20.pdf |website=World Radio History}}{{Cite web|title=KVI 570 AM on your radio dial and rock and roll all night and party everyday too!!| website=YouTube | date=7 February 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9xIxK14IOo}} That direction would last less than a decade, and by 1992, KVI had a fulltime talk radio format. At first, the station used the slogan "the balanced alternative" with a line up alternating liberal and conservative talk hosts, but by 1993, KVI dropped all its liberal hosts except Mike Siegel. Siegel, formerly a liberal, swung right in his views during this period and remained on the station. The other slots were filled by a line up of both local and nationally syndicated conservatives. By May 1994, the year KVI and KPLZ were sold to Fisher Communications, KVI had an almost entirely conservative-talk format.{{Cite web|title=570 KVI Talk Radio - TV Television Commercial - Fox News - Seattle AM (2004)| website=YouTube | date=29 July 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0022kD8W1M |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/K0022kD8W1M |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}

KVI returned to a full service format at 4 p.m. on November 7, 2010, with a mix of oldies and recent hits, news and traffic updates.{{cite news|title=KVI-A Goes Oldies on Nov. 8th|url=http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/83060/kvi-a-goes-oldies-on-nov-8th|access-date=November 2, 2010|newspaper=All Access|date=November 1, 2010}}[http://www.komonews.com/news/local/106489348.html KVI to switch to oldies format next week] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101103182744/http://www.komonews.com/news/local/106489348.html |date=2010-11-03 }}. KOMO. Retrieved 2010-11-02.{{cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/26293/570-kvi-seattle-to-go-oldies/|title=570 KVI Seattle To Go Oldies - RadioInsight|date=7 November 2010}}

Due to the failure of the format, which only garnered an average of a 0.5 share of the market, KVI began stunting with Christmas music on Thanksgiving Day, 2011. On January 3, 2012, the station flipped back to talk, this time as "Smart Talk," with an emphasis on entertainment reports, lifestyle and health info, and local news. Programs included "Sunrise Seattle", a Good Morning America-type program hosted by Mark Christopher and Elisa Jaffe, Don Imus, Clark Howard, Phil Hendrie, "The Buzz" with Scott Carty, the "Daily Wrap from the Wall Street Journal" with Michael Castner, ConsumerMan with Herb Weisbaum, as well as paid brokered programming on weekends.{{cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/54407/kvi-to-return-to-talk/|title=KVI To Return To Talk - RadioInsight|date=20 November 2011}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.radio-info.com/news/fishers-kvi-seattle-570-to-debut-smart-talk-after-christmas |title=News : Fisher's KVI, Seattle (570) to debut "Smart Talk", after Christmas Radio-Info.com |access-date=2011-11-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111127135111/http://www.radio-info.com/news/fishers-kvi-seattle-570-to-debut-smart-talk-after-christmas |archive-date=2011-11-27 |url-status=dead }} After only nine months, the "Smart Talk" format was dropped on September 4, 2012 in favor of a return to conservative talk.{{cite news|last=Payne|first=Patti|title=KVI makes a right turn - back to conservative talk|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/2012/08/kvi-turns-right--back-to-conservative.html?page=all|access-date=August 29, 2012|newspaper=Puget Sound Business Journal|date=August 28, 2012}}{{cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/70190/kvi-seattle-returns-to-conservative-talk-komo-expands-news/|title=KVI Seattle Returns To Conservative Talk; KOMO Expands News - RadioInsight|date=29 August 2012}}

On April 11, 2013, Fisher announced that it would sell its properties, including KVI and KOMO-TV, to the Sinclair Broadcast Group.{{cite news|last=Malone|first=Michael|title=Sinclair to Acquire Fisher Stations for $373 Million|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/492841-Sinclair_to_Acquire_Fisher_Stations_for_373_Million.php|access-date=April 12, 2013|newspaper=Broadcasting & Cable|date=April 11, 2013}} The price for all the stations was $373.3 million.{{Cite web |last=Sharrow |first=Ryan |date=April 11, 2013 |title=Sinclair Broadcast to acquire Fisher Communications for $373.3M |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2013/04/11/sinclair-broadcast-fisher-communications.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130415052915/https://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2013/04/11/sinclair-broadcast-fisher-communications.html |archive-date=2013-04-15 |access-date=2020-09-04 |website=BizJournals.com}}

Although nearly all of Sinclair's broadcast properties are television stations, the company initially retained KVI, KPLZ-FM, KOMO and KOMO-FM.{{cite news|last=Allison|first=Melissa|title=KOMO owner Fisher Communications agrees to sale|url=http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2020756564_fisherbroadcastingxml.html|access-date=April 12, 2013|newspaper=The Seattle Times|date=April 11, 2013}} The deal was completed on August 8, 2013.{{cite news|title=Sinclair Broadcast Group Closes On Fisher Communications Acquisition|url=http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/121117/sinclair-broadcast-group-closes-on-fisher-communic|access-date=August 8, 2013|newspaper=All Access|date=August 8, 2013}}

On June 3, 2021, Sinclair announced they would sell KVI, KPLZ and KOMO-AM-FM to Lotus Communications for $18 million. Sinclair retained KOMO-TV.[https://radioinsight.com/headlines/209052/lotus-broadcasting-acquires-sinclairs-four-stations-in-seattle/ Lotus Broadcasting Acquires Sinclair's Four Stations in Seattle] The sale was completed on September 28, 2021.{{cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/209052/lotus-broadcasting-acquires-sinclairs-four-stations-in-seattle/|title=Lotus Closes On Purchase Of Sinclair's Seattle Radio Properties|first=Lance|last=Venta|work=RadioInsight|date=September 28, 2021|accessdate=September 29, 2021}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=45331 FCC History Cards for KVI]
• {{official website|http://www.kvi.com}}

{{AM station data|35853|KVI}}

{{Seattle Radio}}

{{Lotus Communications}}

Category:Conservative talk radio

VI

Category:Talk radio stations in the United States

Category:Radio stations established in 1926

Category:News and talk radio stations in the United States

Category:Lotus Communications stations

Category:1926 establishments in Washington (state)