 | |
| City | Redlands, California |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Riverside-San Bernardino, California |
| Frequency | 99.9 MHz |
| Branding | KOLA 99.9 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic Hits |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Anaheim Broadcasting Corp. |
| KCAL-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | 1959 (as KFMW) |
Former call signs | KFMW (1959-1969) |
Call sign meaning | Sounds like "Cola" |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 55240 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 29,500 watts |
| HAAT | 507 meters |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live or Listen Live |
| Website | kolafm.com |
KOLA is a commercial Classic Hits music radio station in Redlands, California, broadcasting to the Riverside-San Bernardino, California, area on 99.9 FM. KOLA was founded by Fred Cote, first owner and general manager. Its studios are in Redlands, California and the transmitter tower is in Moreno Valley.
History[edit]
99.9 FM originally signed on in 1959 as KFMW, with transmitter located on Box Springs Mountain southeast of Riverside. Frederick Coté and Chester Coleman bought the station in 1965;[1] Coté bought out Coleman's half-interest[2] and changed the call sign to KOLA[3] at the end of 1969, then switched from KFMW's MOR/beautiful music format to a soul and Top 40 format. In the winter of 1970–71, KOLA moved its studios to the Mission Inn in downtown Riverside.[4]
In 1980, the station switched to Album Oriented Rock with Ted Ziegenbusch as their programming consultant through 1987. In 1987 the station switched back to a more Top 40 music approach. In the 1990s KOLA played oldies from the '50s '60s and '70s. Around 2007, most of the 1960s hits (only for a few exceptions) were dropped and adapted to play more hits of the 1970s and 1980s. By spring of 2013, KOLA had dropped all the 1960s hits and switched to a 1970s-80s-90s classic hits format. In 2018, KOLA dropped most of the 1970s hits and began adding songs from the early 2000s.
KOLA continues to broadcast from the same tower at the same 29,500 watts on its original license from 1959 as KFMW.
References[edit]
- ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. August 16, 1965. p. 92. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
- ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. November 3, 1969. p. 114. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
- ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. December 29, 1969. p. 68. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
- ^ Hall, Claude (30 January 1971). "Radio-TV programming: Vox Jox". Billboard: 35.
External links[edit]
- Official Website
- KOLA in the FCC FM station database
- KOLA on Radio-Locator
- KOLA in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- List of "grandfathered" FM radio stations in the U.S.