Broadcast area | Lower Florida Keys area |
---|---|
Frequency | 1500 kHz |
Branding | KONK 1500AM, Community Radio for Key West |
Programming | |
Format | Defunct (formerly talk radio) |
Ownership | |
Owner |
|
Operator | KONK Communications |
History | |
First air date | March 27, 1959 [1] |
Call sign meaning | " Keys" |
Technical information | |
Facility ID | 11193 |
Class | B |
Power | 250 watts unlimited |
Transmitter coordinates | 24°34′1.00″N 81°44′54.00″W / 24.5669444°N 81.7483333°W |
WKIZ (1500 AM) was a radio station broadcasting a talk radio format. Licensed to Key West, Florida, United States, the station was last owned by Daniel Caamano, through licensee Almavision of Miami, [2] brokered to KONK Communications.
WKIZ began broadcasting on March 27, 1959. [1] It was owned by the Florida Keys Broadcasting Corporation. [3]
In the early 1990s, the station aired an oldies format. [4] [5] It was taken off the air December 6, 1994, but resumed broadcasting in early 1997, as an affiliate of Bloomberg News. [6] [7] It adopted a Spanish language format later in the year. [8] In the 2000s, the station aired a progressive talk format as an affiliate of Air America. [9] [10] [11]
In 2010, Overseas Radio, LLC began brokering broadcasting time on WKIZ. [12] The station was branded KONK and aired a talk radio format. The radio station was called "The Best Talk Radio Station in Florida" by Florida Monthly magazine (September 2010). [13] [14] KONK originally signed on May 26, 2009, as an unlicensed station operating under U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Part 15 low power rules, broadcasting on 1630 kHz at 1 milliwatt, covering only the island of Key West. [15]
The station was taken off the air on September 10, 2017, due to damage to its transmitter, caused by Hurricane Irma. [16] It resumed operations in September 2018, running reduced power of 62.5 watts, but was again taken silent on October 22, 2018. [17] [18] Its license expired on February 1, 2020, as its owner failed to file an application to renew the station's license. [19]
Station owner Guy de Boer has entered into a lease/management agreement with WKIZ-1500, owned by Washington state-based Seattle Streaming Radio, which has a 250-watt transmitter on 5th Avenue on Stock Island.[ dead link]