KNML

KNML (610 AM "The Sports Animal") is a commercial radio station airing a sports format and licensed to Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is owned by Cumulus Media with studios and offices on 4th Street NW at Lomas Boulevard. KNML is powered at 5,000 watts. The transmitter is off 2nd Street SW in South Valley, New Mexico, between the Rio Grande and the Albuquerque International Sunport. By day, the signal is non-directional. At night, to avoid interfering with other stations on 610 AM and adjacent channels, KNML uses a directional antenna with a three-tower array. This concentrates the signal in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Programming is also heard on 250-watt FM translator K240BL at 95.9 MHz.

KNML (610 AM "The Sports Animal") is a commercial radio station airing a sports format and licensed to Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is owned by Cumulus Media with studios and offices on 4th Street NW at Lomas Boulevard. KNML is powered at 5,000 watts. The transmitter is off 2nd Street SW in South Valley, New Mexico, between the Rio Grande and the Albuquerque International Sunport. By day, the signal is non-directional. At night, to avoid interfering with other stations on 610 AM and adjacent channels, KNML uses a directional antenna with a three-tower array. This concentrates the signal in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Programming is also heard on 250-watt FM translator K240BL at 95.9 MHz. ==Programming== The station has a long history of carrying play-by-play for local teams. KNML features some University of New Mexico sports teams coverage, mostly Lobos women's basketball, but the bulk of UNM coverage is handled by sister stations KKOB and KKOB-FM. KNML is the home of the Albuquerque Isotopes baseball team in the Pacific Coast League. Josh Suchon is the voice of the Isotopes. Weekdays begin with The Opening Drive with Jeff Siembieda and J.J. Buck. Siembieda had been a local television anchor and is the executive director of The New Mexico Bowl. Afternoon drive time is hosted by Kenny Thomas. The rest of the weekday schedule is nationally syndicated sports hosts. Colin Cowherd and Jim Rome are heard in middays. Shows from the BetMGM Network and Westwood One Sports are heard nights and weekends. ==History== ===Portable station=== KNML was first licensed, as KGGM, on August 17, 1927, to Jay Peters of Inglewood, California, The station was a portable broadcasting station, that could be transported between various communities. The call letters were randomly selected from an alphabetic roster. In early 1928, promoter C. C. Pyle organized a cross-country foot race divided into daily timed stages and run from Los Angeles to New York City. H. C. Shaw hired the KGGM equipment, carried on a specially prepared school bus, and was used to make broadcasts from the various race destinations. In late March the race was scheduled to end a leg in Albuquerque, and the station was set up to broadcast the runners' arrivals followed by their departures the following day. However, a financial dispute led to the race bypassing the city, although the station continued to follow the racers as they headed east. On May 10, a front-page article announced that the racers and KGGM had arrived in Elyria, Ohio, where the station was used to make a broadcast featuring Congressional Representative James T. Begg. KGGM's future was uncertain as the race drew to a close. Owner Peters sued Pyle for more than $3,000 in unpaid costs for use of the station. In addition, a regulatory policy change threatened to delete the KGGM license altogether. In May 1928, the Federal Radio Commission (FRC) had announced that it planned to stop licensing portable facilities after July 1. Following the race conclusion, KGGM travelled west, passing through Amarillo, Texas, on its way back to Los Angeles. Three days later it was announced that the station had returned to Albuquerque and would make two special broadcasts. By the time the broadcasts were made, tentative plans were in progress for KGGM to remain in Albuquerque. In the meantime, KGGM was given a 30-day extension on its license, to August 1, 1928. ===KRKE and KZSS=== In 1973, citing their desire to focus on KGGM-TV and comply with multiple ownership rules (the combination with KVSF remained grandfathered), the Hebenstreits sold KGGM radio to Gaylord Broadcasting for $720,000. The call letters were changed to KRKE on December 31. KRKE had a Top 40 format, playing the popular hits of the day for the young people of Albuquerque. It sometimes simulcast with KRKE-FM 94.1, which had a similar contemporary hits sound. The call letters changed again in 1986 to KZSS, with 610 AM simulcasting with its FM sister station–by then KZRR–for nearly a decade. The two stations had an album rock format, playing top titles from the best-selling rock albums. In 1997, KZSS broke from the simulcast. It began running a "personal achievement" format, which in 1999 was traded off for the 95.1 FM frequency with KSVA. Citadel Broadcasting then traded KHTL (920 AM) for 610 AM. Citadel merged with Cumulus Media on September 16, 2011. ===The Sports Animal=== The Sports Animal format began in 1994, originally appearing on KRZY (1450 AM). In 1996, after KRZY had been sold to a Spanish-language broadcaster, Citadel moved the Sports Animal format to 1050 AM, using KNML as a call sign. In 2000, the Sports Animal format was moved once again to its current home at 610 AM, the second-strongest AM signal in Albuquerque, which included the transfer of the KNML call letters. KNML was the home of Don Imus and his syndicated wake up show, Imus in the Morning. It was carried until April 12, 2007. Previous program directors include: Andrew Paul (later with KXNT in Las Vegas), Dennis Glasgow and Ian Martin, who worked for the station beginning in 1999 and resigned during the week of July 15, 2008. Other station personalities included: Gary Herron (KQTM), Dom Zarella, Jeff Lukas, Blake Taylor (KMJ), Bob Clark (KKOB), Mike Powers (KRQE) and Brandon Vogt (KKOB). ==Notes== ==References== ==External links== KNML station website FCC History Cards for KNML (covering KGGM / KRKE for 1927–1980)

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