User:Nathan Obral/sandbox/KSPN (AM)

KSPN (710 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, and serving the Greater Los Angeles Area. Owned by Good Karma Brands, the station airs a sports format as the market's ESPN Radio affiliate. KSPN's studios are located at the ESPN Los Angeles Studios at L.A. Live in Downtown Los Angeles, while the transmitter resides in Irwindale. In addition to a standard analog transmission, KSPN is simulcast over former sister station KRDC and is available online; KSPN is also licensed to broadcast in the HD Radio (hybrid) format.

Early years
The station first signed on as KRLO on February 19, 1927, broadcasting from Beverly Hills. It was heard on several frequencies in radio's early days, including 1170 kilocycles. In early 1928 the call letters were changed to KEJK. It switched to 710 kHz when it was sold to new owners in November 1929.

In March 1930 it took the call sign that it would hold for 67 years, KMPC. The station was then owned by the MacMillan Petroleum Company, for which the station's call letters were chosen. The studios and offices were on 3651 Wilshire Boulevard, now part of the property of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple. Later, George A. Richards of Detroit acquired the station. KMPC became part of the Goodwill Station group that included WJR in Detroit and WGAR in Cleveland, both also owned by Richards. KMPC soon became Southern California's destination for sports programming, as it carried Pacific Coast League baseball, UCLA Bruins sports and, beginning in 1946, the Los Angeles Rams football team.

License challenge
Behind the scenes, the licenses for WGAR, WJR and KMPC became ensnared by charges of news policies instituted through George A. Richards that encouraged manipulation and bias. The lead story in Billboard 's March 6, 1948, issue alleged that Richards had a long-standing practice of interference with KMPC's newscasts to reflect his own personal beliefs and racial prejudices. Two former KMPC staffers presented memos to Billboard attributed to Richards heavily implying antisemitism and anti-communism, repeatedly insisting that Jews were "all Communists" and insisted news personnel "keep hammering away at the Jews". Richards demanded unflattering coverage on members of the Roosevelt family, Henry A. Wallace, the Truman administration and the New Deal, while encouraging favorable reports on Gen. Douglas MacArthur and the spiking of any stories on Palestine so as not to "give aid and comfort to Jews and Communists". Clete Roberts, one of the two whistleblowers, revealed that Richards fired him on grounds of insubordination after refusing to omit details on a profile of MacArthur that made it to air, countering a claim by KMPC's management that economic reasons prompted his dismissal. These allegations came at the same time the FCC was considering a repeal of the Mayflower doctrine prohibiting stations from editorializing on-the-air.

A deposition filed with the FCC by another former staffer, Maurie Starrels, further alleged anti-Semitic behavior by Richards, who demanded significant emphasis of Jewish backgrounds for multiple news figures, and even ordered the fabrication of a story regarding Edwin W. Pauley pursuing a Truman cabinet post. Multiple members of Congress, the American Jewish Congress (AJC), the Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) and the Radio News Club of Hollywood (RNC), along with James Roosevelt, all called on the FCC to investigate the allegations. The AJC's petition stated that Richards "fomented hate among minorities" by blatantly flouting the Mayflower doctrine and called for revocation of KMPC's license. The RNC filed a petition based on the Billboard evidence, which the FCC took up and ordered an initial examination of all three stations on March 25, 1948. The commission then ordered public investigatory proceedings for all three stations on November 16, having corroborated the Billboard evidence and RNC petition while also bringing up "substantial questions with respect to the qualifications" of Richards as a license holder. While the procedure would result in "a clean bill of health" for Richards if the charges were unfounded, verification would result in license revocation hearings or additional actions taken by the commission during license renewals.

Initially slated for mid-February 1949, the hearings were delayed until March 16 after Richards filed an affidavit requesting a personal appearance to the FCC, admitting to portions of the charges, and that an 11-year bout with coronary thrombosis was a lead instigator for his impulsive behavior, while also claiming broadcast outlets and networks had been engaging in biased coverage for over 20 years to the commission's tacit approval. The hearing was again postponed after Richards proposed to relinquish control of all three stations and transfer them to three trustees, while his physicians also insisted to the FCC that any hearing could potentially kill Richards given his heart condition. One of Richards' attorneys, former Sen. Burton K. Wheeler, argued that Richards had wanted to retire at age 60, which was when the proposal was submitted. The National Community Relations Advisory Council (NCRAC) protested the trusteeship proposal at their April 25, 1949, meeting; NCRAC cited the FCC's general counsel Benedict P. Cottone's statements that neither of the three trustees were residents of Cleveland, Detroit or Los Angeles proper, while two of the trustees were known by one NCRAC member to have espoused deeply conservative viewpoints.

Hearings commenced in Los Angeles on March 13, 1950, with FCC chief counsel Frederick W. Ford's opening statement accusing Richards of "slanting" and distorting news on his stations to "substantiate his personal dislikes". Clete Roberts' testimony to the FCC included further claims of Richards engaging in anti-Semitism, including his insistence at a KMPC news staff meeting that there was "a plot afoot, a Jewish plot" involving CBS's William S. Paley, NBC's David Sarnoff and ABC's Robert E. Kintner; Roberts also testified that Richards fired him after his news story about Gen. MacArthur denoted graying hair and a quivering hand. Another announcer also testified that Richards ordered the removal of be-bop recordings, viewing them as having "communistic influence", but was stricken from the record. Jack Paar later corroborated a ban on "swing music" by Richards existed in his memoir, detailing a directive for WGAR to temporarily drop out of CBS programming whenever they played any selections. The hearings took political overtones: Sen. Styles Bridges demanded on the Senate floor for an investigation into the FCC's investigation into Richards, considering it a punishment exerted by the agency for his political views. Representatives Anthony F. Tauriello and Harry J. Davenport denounced Roberts on the House floor based on prior comments made by Roberts about southern Italians, while Rep. Stephen M. Young considered the hearings an overreach of the commission's authority "vested in it by Congress".

Meanwhile, presiding examiner J. Frederick Johnson Jr. died after recessing the hearings, which were restarted by Johnson's replacement, James D. Cunningham, on June 15 at the request of Richards's legal team. The FCC requested 7,000 news scripts from KMPC, and indicated the same request would be made for WJR and WGAR. A subpoena for Richards was issued at the insistence of Benedict Cottone but his health again became an issue when he did not obey the order. KMPC manager Robert O. Reynolds—who was on the witness stand for over a month—stated Richards' prior thrombosis left him physically unable to walk or climb steps, which was countered by an x-ray specialist who saw little evidence existed of an abnormal enlargement on his heart. Examiner Cunningham ruled that Richards did not need to testify when the FCC completed their prosecution at the end of August 1950, which saw 34 witnesses give 2,000,000 words on 8,000 pages of transcript during the course of 13 weeks. Richards' defense included Los Angeles mayor Fletcher Bowron praising Richards for KMPC's wartime public service record while his legal counsel cited coverage in People's World and The Nation as evidence that the hearings were inspired by the Communist Party. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) issued a resolution condemning the investigation as an invasion of Richards' free speech right and privacy, prompting NCRAC to issue a reply criticizing the NAB's "misunderstanding of the necessary and natural functions" of the FCC. The hearings ended in mid-December 1950 with Richards' legal team withdrawing the trusteeship proposal and propose advisory councils for all three stations; Examiner Cunningham deemed the hearings for WGAR as unnecessary.

In a 340-page finding submitted to the commission on May 15, 1951, Benedict Cottone recommended that all three Richards stations, including WGAR, not have their licenses renewed, stating that the stations did not serve the public interest. Cottone charged that Richards repeatedly violated FCC policy and the Communications Act of 1934, and assailed the "contempt" Richards held for the agency. Cottone also urged the FCC to recognize that Richards used his stations to further his political interests and social prejudices. KMPC management had promised vindication, and publicly assured that no action had been taken as of yet against the station. Hearing examiner James D. Cunningham was to have issued a subsequent proposal, and en banc oral arguments were scheduled to take place, but Richards died two weeks later, on May 28 at age 62 from an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Fr. Coughlin was among the attendees at his funeral, while Rev. James W. Fifield Jr.—who delivered the eulogy—condemned the three-year legal investigation into Richards, saying that he was "murdered ... by those who sought to destroy freedom". James Cunningham motioned to dismiss all proceedings as moot on June 14, 1951, citing the overall investigation was aimed to determine Richards's fitness controlling the companies that owned the station licenses, and his death nullified the issue. As it was, the trusteeship arrangement Richards proposed in 1949 was set up to have been terminated upon his death. Widow Frances S. Richards was bequeathed all three stations, along with all other personal effects, and made assurances the stations—dubbed as the "Goodwill Stations"—would adhere to a code eschewing bias in news reporting; the FCC renewed all three licenses and approved the ownership transfers to her name on November 28, 1951. All told, the legal fight ultimately cost Richards $2 million.

Gene Autry
Legendary singer and actor Gene Autry bought KMPC in 1952, making it the centerpiece of his broadcasting company, Golden West Broadcasters. Autry eventually owned TV, AM and FM stations around the Western United States. During Autry's ownership, KMPC was a full service middle of the road station, featuring popular music, news and sports. Dick Whittinghill, Geoff Edwards, Wink Martindale, Gary Owens, Bob Arbogast and Roger Carroll formed a powerhouse lineup of disc jockeys during the 1960s and 70s.

During 1958 and 1959 baseball seasons, KMPC was also the flagship station for the Los Angeles Dodgers radio network. In 1961, it became the flagship of the new baseball team, the Los Angeles Angels. KMPC and the Angels were both owned by Autry. KMPC remained the Angels' radio voice until 2008 (except for 1997 to 2002). In November 1963, Autry acquired Channel 5 KTLA, LA's top independent television station. The TV station's operations were at 5800 Sunset Boulevard, while KMPC Radio had its studios at 5858 Sunset Boulevard. KTLA was sold to investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts in 1983, while KMPC remained under Autry's ownership.

In the 1980s, KMPC adopted an adult standards format which featured big bands and vocalists. During this time, the legendary DJ Robert W. Morgan began a long stint as morning host. KMPC also aired a weekday evening sports call-in show hosted by Scott St. James, who was also a TV soap opera actor on the side.

In the early 1980s, KMPC changed to talk radio and fired its DJs. Whittinghill, Owens, Johnny Magnus and Pete Smith went over to KPRZ and played standards as part of "The Music of Your Life" format. A few years later, KMPC returned to standards as "The Station of the Stars."

Sports radio
In April 1992, KMPC became one of the first all sports stations on the West Coast, billing itself as "All Sports, All Hours." Jim Lampley and Todd Christensen were co-hosts of one program, Joe McDonnell and Doug Krikorian began their run as a popular local duo "McDonnell & Douglas." Jim Healy, one of the most famous voices in L.A. sports, returned to KMPC after a few years at KLAC.

Other show hosts included Brian Golden and Paola Boivin, Chris Roberts and Jack Snow, Fred Wallin and Tony Femino.

ABC/Disney ownership
In 1994, the Autry family sold KMPC to ABC, which already owned the successful talk station KABC. The price tag for KMPC was $17.5 million. On May 2 of that year, KMPC began a general talk format to complement KABC. Hosts such as Tom Leykis, Stephanie Miller, Peter Tilden, and Joe Crummey headlined this new format.

On February 24, 1997, ABC Radio changed KMPC's call letters to KTZN, and flipped to a women's talk format. The station hired multiple new hosts, including humor writer and David Letterman Show co-creator Merrill Markoe, psychologist Dr. Toni Grant and comedienne (and former KMPC host) Stephanie Miller. Under this format, the station failed to make the top 30 in Los Angeles Arbitron ratings. The women's talk format lasted less than six months.

On August 26, 1997, Radio Disney was launched on the station with the KDIS call letters, becoming the network's fifth affiliate; the station carried the Disney children's radio service until 2003.

KSPN moves to 710
As an ESPN Radio outlet, KSPN began on the former KRLA (1110 AM, now KRDC) in December 2000, after ABC purchased that station from Infinity Broadcasting. On January 1, 2003, ABC swapped its Radio Disney and ESPN Radio stations in Los Angeles, with 1110 taking Radio Disney and the KDIS call sign, while 710 became L.A.'s ESPN Radio outlet. KSPN was led by the sports talk team of Joe McDonnell and Doug Krikorian.

The KMPC call letters were retired until acquired them in 2000. (The KMPC on 1540 kHz also had an all-sports format, using programming from the co-owned Sporting News Radio Network. On May 1, 2007, that station switched to Korean language programming.)

With ESPN affiliate XEPE in Tijuana-San Diego switching from sports to another format in April 2019, KSPN served as the de facto ESPN outlet for San Diego County until XEPRS-AM added ESPN Radio programming in January 2022. ESPN Radio programming would return to the 1110 AM frequency in April 2021, when the Radio Disney service shut down; KRDC switched to a KSPN simulcast (with breaks when two live sporting events occurred at the same time) pending a station sale.

In December 2021, Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reported that Good Karma Brands planned to acquire KSPN. The deal was filed with the FCC on December 20, and did not include KSPN's current transmitter site.

Current

 * Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA, since the 2009-10 season. John Ireland and Mychal Thompson are the game announcers, preceded by the pregame show with Dave Shore and the postgame show with A Martínez and Dave Miller.
 * Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League, since the return of the team to Los Angeles prior to the 2016 season. For FM listeners, games are also heard on KCBS-FM. In the Rams' original Los Angeles stint, 710 AM (in its previous KMPC incarnation) was the team's radio flagship for nearly the team's entire first tenure in Southern California.
 * Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Major League Baseball): Sixty Angels games each season are simulcast on KSPN, which has a partnership with official flagship station KLAA for additional Angels shows and some advertising sales. KLAA's audio is usually several seconds ahead of KSPN's.
 * ESPN Radio coverage of selected NBA regular season and postseason games, including all NBA Finals contests, MLB postseason games, including the World Series, and the College Football Playoff.
 * Los Angeles FC of Major League Soccer, with Dave Denholm on the call.

Former teams on KSPN

 * Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League. KSPN swapped the Kings for the Clippers with KLAC in 2006.  Kings games now air on iHeartRadio.
 * The National Football League's San Diego Chargers, only for the 2007 season. The Los Angeles Chargers are now on 98.7 KYSR.
 * Los Angeles Clippers (National Basketball Association). The Clippers' radio broadcasts moved to KFWB starting with the 2009-10 season and later moved to KLAC in March 2016.
 * Trojans Football and Basketball programs of the University of Southern California, from the 2006-07 academic year until May 2019, when Southern Cal switched to KABC.  The football announcing team was veteran Pete Arbogast and John Jackson.  The basketball announcer was Jordan Moore.  In 2010,  Chris Fisher replaced Rory Markas, who died in January of that year. In October 2018, Moore took over for Fisher, who was moving on to play-by-play for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Starting with the 2012 season, Trojan home football games were carried on ESPN Radio.

2003–2007
When the all-sports format premiered on KSPN in January 2003, the station was locally focused, bringing in popular local sports talk duo Joe McDonnell and Doug Krikorian and their "McDonnell-Douglas Show" to afternoon drive. Steve Mason & John Ireland, football player D'Marco Farr and longtime ESPN personality Gary Miller were among the hosts who rotated through the midday slot from 2004-2007.

On November 26, 2007, KSPN introduced yet another local lineup. Mason, sans Ireland, moved into the 1-4 p.m. time slot, followed in afternoon drive by a new show hosted by Dave Dameshek, a member of the Jimmy Kimmel-Adam Carolla comedy connection. Unique to Dameshek's show was a house band similar to those found on late-night television shows. New-to-Los Angeles Brian Long was hired for the evening show. In the programming shakeup, Kevin Kiley, who had served as an on-air foil to Farr, was let go, and, inexplicably, the popular Ireland also was let go. Ireland was rehired in April 2008 and reunited with Mason in the early afternoon time slot.

2008–2009
Just seven months later, on June 23, 2008, another new local lineup was introduced. Mason and Ireland went on from 1-4 while Dameshek was forced to share his show with Long and Dave Denholm, a three-man pairing. Dameshek eventually began a podcast-only show that has become among the parent network's more popular Web offerings, while Denholm and Long continued in afternoon drive.

After KSPN got the Lakers rights, the station started morphing their already Trojan- and Laker-heavy talk programming to be even more Laker-centric. On July 10, 2009, unofficially known as "710 Day," L.A. Sports Live with Andrew Siciliano and Mychal Thompson premiered from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mason and Ireland returned to their old drive time slot (3-7 p.m.), replacing Denholm and Long.

2010–2021
More time slot changes were made on April 5, 2010: With ESPN having reduced The Herd with Colin Cowherd to three hours (7-10 a.m. PT), L.A. Sports Live and Mason and Ireland each moved up by one hour but are still on for four hours each. Martinez and Long received a new time slot, 6 to 9 p.m. The local shows originated from ESPN studios at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles.

KSPN carried two other shows from the network: Mike and Mike in the Morning and All Night with Jason Smith, the latter of which originated from the KSPN studios. The Scott Van Pelt and Dan Le Batard shows moved over to secondary ESPN affiliate KLAA.

In December 2010, Mike Thompson was hired as new Programming Director. Thompson reportedly fired Joe McDonnell outside a sandwich shop in Westwood. Thompson also introduced Arnie Spanier and Karl Malone to L.A. radio. Thompson's first move at KSPN was to replace Siciliano with a new show hosted by New Yorker Max Kellerman and former NFL player Marcellus Wiley. Mychal Thompson remained as a Lakers analyst and became a morning show host with Mark Willard, who was let go from the station on August 29, 2014. Thompson continued to broadcast in late mornings with Mike Trudell on "Thompson & Trudell" in the 10 a.m. to noon time slot. Long left the station in December to become program director of KIRO, the ESPN Network affiliate in Seattle.

KSPN later added another New Yorker, Stephen A. Smith, to its weeknight lineup, followed by Martinez' "In the Zone" talk show. These shows were later dropped and KSPN began carrying ESPN Radio's “The Freddy Coleman Show” in the evenings (when live sports or a team-focused hour is not airing). In June 2018, the morning show became "Keyshawn, Jorge, and LZ" (Keyshawn Johnson, Jorge Sedano and LZ Granderson). That was followed by the ESPN Network's Stephen A. Smith, hosting the late morning show, followed by "Mason and Ireland" in the early afternoon. From 3 to 7 p.m., Marcellus Wiley and Travis Rodgers hosted PM drive time.

2021–present
The most recent changes see Keyshawn, JWill and Max (Keyshawn Johnson, Jay WIlliams and Max Kellerman) becoming the morning show, Travis Rodgers and Allen Sliwa host late mornings, followed by Steve Mason and John Ireland in the early afternoon, Jorge Sedano and Scott Kaplan hosting drive time, Allen Sliwa hosts Lakers Talk from 7-9pm.