KXPL

Jack R. McVeigh received a construction permit for a new 10,000-watt, daytime-only radio station in El Paso on August 20, 1971.{{Cite web|url= https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=45324 |title= History Cards for DKXPL|publisher=Federal Communications Commission}} (Guide to reading History Cards) KAMA signed on July 13, 1972;{{cite web|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1974/1974-BC-YB.pdf|title=KAMA|work=Broadcasting Yearbook|date=1974|page=B-204 (400)|access-date=September 7, 2020}} it was one of the affiliates of the short-lived Mutual Spanish Network{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58864003/|access-date=September 7, 2020|date=September 10, 1972|title=FCC OKs Ticket For New EP Radio Station|work=El Paso Times|page=10-A}} and was the only Spanish-language station based in El Paso.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58866238/|first=Carol|last=Viescas|date=June 28, 1977|title=Television Is Fastest Growing Medium|page=14-G|work=El Paso Times|access-date=September 7, 2020}} January 1, 1976, brought the launch of an FM counterpart, KAMA-FM 93.1, also broadcasting in Spanish with salsa and tropical music.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58866350/|title=Honor Roll: 1972, KAMA Radio|date=December 31, 1977|page=9-D|access-date=September 7, 2020}} KAMA was a highly successful station in the second half of the 1970s, leading the El Paso radio ratings in each year between 1975 and 1979.{{cite news|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Duncan-American-Radio/Duncan-1975-1992/El%20Paso.pdf|access-date=September 7, 2020|title=El Paso|first=James|last=Duncan|work=Duncan's American Radio|date=2004}}

McVeigh sold KAMA-AM-FM in 1981 to Thrash Broadcasting, Inc., of Georgia.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58865190/|access-date=September 7, 2020|date=July 11, 1981|page=6-B|title=El Paso radio stations bought by Georgia firm|work=El Paso Times}} Thrash flipped KAMA-FM to an English-language format as KAMZ "93Z" in April 1982.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58867138/|first=Ed|last=Foster|date=October 11, 1982|title=Album Park area still people want answers to disco bash|access-date=September 7, 2020|page=6-A|work=El Paso Times}}

In 1982, the Federal Communications Commission made available the 750 kHz frequency for use in the El Paso area. Unlike at 1060, a clear channel frequency assigned to Mexico City's XEEP-AM, a station on 750 could broadcast at night. Thrash made a bid for the new license, which had four applicants. In 1985, one went bankrupt, and the remaining three reached an agreement by which Thrash would win the 750 frequency in a merger with the El Paso Radio Corporation. Competitor Fina Broadcast House Corporation—owned by El Paso Spanish-language radio pioneer John S. Chávez, Jr., whose KOYE was the first Spanish-language radio station in El Paso—bought the 1060 license from Thrash.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57995096/radio-stations-adjust-frequencies/|access-date=September 7, 2020|date=April 4, 1985|title=Radio stations adjust frequencies|first=Phil|last=Ross|work=El Paso Times|page=1-D}}

At 5:30 p.m. on July 11, 1985, KAMA moved to 750 AM.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57995198/kama-am-gets-ready-for-expansion/|access-date=September 7, 2020|date=July 11, 1985|title=KAMA-AM gets ready for expansion|page=4-C|work=El Paso Times}} Two months later, on September 16, the new 1060 station began operation as KFNA "Radio Fina", with a Spanish-language oldies format playing music of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57995036/new-spanish-station-seeks-to-bring-back/|access-date=September 7, 2020|date=September 19, 1985|title=New Spanish station seeks to bring back 'Golden Era' tunes|work=El Paso Times|page=6-C}} The format failed to attract listeners; less than 18 months after launching, Fina filed for bankruptcy protection, declaring $377,000 in assets to $716,000 in liabilities and with several court judgments against the company; a search for a buyer began.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57994981/radio-station-hunts-buyer/|access-date=September 7, 2020|first=Doug|last=DesGeorges|title=Radio station hunts buyer|date=January 14, 1987|page=6-B|work=El Paso Times}}

It would be some time before the bankruptcy case was resolved. In November 1990, the court-appointed trustee for Fina Broadcast House filed to sell KFNA—by then silent—to K-Fina Results, Inc., a company owned by Roberto Corral, Armando de León, Jr., Aida Mangas de Otañez, and Enriqueta Gómez; Mangas was a resident of Ciudad Juárez, while the other three were El Paso investors.{{cite news|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1990/RR-1990-12-07.pdf|access-date=September 7, 2020|date=December 7, 1990|work=Radio & Records|title=Transactions|page=10}} In January 1993, the station began broadcasting the audio of CNN Headline News.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58869679/|access-date=September 7, 2020|title=El Paso gets all-news CNN radio|first=Robert|last=Nelson|work=El Paso Times|date=January 29, 1993}} However, after a year of lackluster results, the station abruptly returned to Spanish in January 1994 as "Radio del Norte", laying off a dozen staffers in the process.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58870046/|work=El Paso Times|page=1B|title=Radio format changes to Spanish|date=January 30, 1994|access-date=September 7, 2020|first=Gordon|last=Dickson}}

On January 3, 2000, KFNA became KXPL; the station was known as Radio Sol.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58870251/|access-date=September 7, 2020|date=May 11, 2000|title=Radio Sol Amateur Hour|work=El Paso Times}}

The station was sold in 2004 to New Radio System, Inc., which was owned by Gómez alongside Paul Gregg, María Elena Lazo, and Adrián Pereda Gómez, one of the principals in Mexican radio broadcaster Grupo Radiorama, which owns several stations in Ciudad Juárez.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58869956/|access-date=September 7, 2020|date=June 10, 2004|title=Local Notice|page=2-E|work=El Paso Times}} Later that year, the station was an affiliate of W Radio.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58871690/|title=Castro's radio talk show 'Diálogo' moves to KXPL|page=1D|work=El Paso Times|date=December 17, 2004|access-date=September 7, 2020}}

The station held a number of formats in the 2010s. As late as 2017, it was a news/talk outlet known as "Latina 1060 AM"; programming included news, talk and entertainment shows.{{cite web|url=https://publicfiles.fcc.gov/api/manager/download/779d52be-b965-7ea0-7ad4-e8b3a616765a/dd4deaeb-fcce-47e1-aaed-0bb2e5797eca.pdf|date=February 2018|publisher=KXPL|title=EL PASO, TX programacion de la semana en LATINA 1060 AM y mes de febrero-2018|via=FCC public file|access-date=September 7, 2020}} The next year, it became Éxtasis Digital, using a common Radiorama brand and an English-language adult contemporary format. The station continued to broadcast until June 30, 2020, at which time it went silent temporarily due to economic reasons stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite web|url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1819004&Service=AM&Form_id=910&Facility_id=33067|title= BLSTA - 20200706AAG Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA |date=July 6, 2020|access-date=September 7, 2020|author=KXPL|work=Federal Communications Commission}}

The station returned to the air in 2021, but left the air again on February 28, 2022, this time for good.{{Cite web|url=https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=101172|title=Request for Silent Authority|date=February 28, 2022|website=Consolidated Database System|publisher=Federal Communications Commission}} New Radio System surrendered KXPL's license to the Federal Communications Commission on February 23, 2023; the FCC canceled it the same day.

{{reflist}}

• [https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/publicFacilityDetails.html?facilityId=33067 Facility details for Facility ID 33067 (KXPL)] in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• [https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=45324 FCC History Cards for KXPL] (covering 1967-1980 as KAMA)

{{El Paso Radio}}

{{Daytime-only radio stations in Texas}}

{{Spanish Radio Stations in Texas}}

Category:1972 establishments in Texas

XPL

Category:Radio stations established in 1972

XPL

XPL

Category:Defunct radio stations in the United States

Category:Radio stations disestablished in 2022

Category:2022 disestablishments in Texas