KAAY

KAAY is a 50,000-watt, class A clear-channel AM radio station in Little Rock, Arkansas, licensed on 1090 kHz. The station is owned by Cumulus Media. The station's studios are located in West Little Rock, and the transmitter tower is located in Wrightsville, Arkansas.

History

KAAY was founded as KTHS in 1924 in Hot Springs; it moved to Little Rock in 1953. After the TV station KTHV was created from it in 1955, KTHS was sold to LIN Broadcasting, who turned it into a Top 40 station in 1962 under its present call sign. It has been a stalwart of Christian radio since 1985, and has been owned by Cumulus Media since its 2011 merger with Citadel Broadcasting (which bought the station in 1998).

KAAY's cult status was forged in the late 1960s, when, after 11pm, the station abandoned the standard Top 40 format for three hours of underground music with the program Beaker Street hosted by Clyde Clifford.