KHTS-FM (93.3 FM) is a Top 40 (CHR) station licensed to El Cajon, California and serving the San Diego market. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and brands as "Channel 93.3", sounded out as "Channel 9-3-3". The station's studios are located in San Diego's Kearny Mesa neighborhood on the northeast side, and the transmitter is located in East San Diego east of Balboa Park.
Currently, KHTS is the most listened to radio station in all of the San Diego region, averaging nearly 1,000,000 listeners.
From 1961 to 1995, the station was KECR-FM, owned by the religious Family Radio organization and airing their programming. The station was sold off in 1995 to Jacor Communications, with Family Radio continuing to broadcast in San Diego on KECR, an AM station on 910. Shortly after, the station received their current KHTS-FM calls.
In March 1996, KHTS began stunting with a simulcast of Tampa, Florida-based WFLZ (coincidentally, also on 93.3 FM in their market) in an early form of voicetracking to allow Jacor to plan for and hire for a new station without having to depend on a commercial-free 'in a row' gimmick during the building-out. This brought personalities such as Bubba The Love Sponge to the market, along with WFLZ referencing San Diego weather and events in their programming. The simulcast was broken in August 1996, with the stunting shifting to a loop of remixes of the then-popular "Macarena" for a month. On September 1, 1996, the stunting shifted to a broadcast of that day's San Diego Chargers game in place of XTRA, which is required by law to carry Mexican presidential addresses under its Mexican radio license. At 4 PM that day, KHTS-FM officially flipped to Top 40, branded as "Channel 933." Originally, KHTS-FM focused on Rhythmic Top 40/Dance hits and remixes of mainstream pop and rock. The station would also air attack liners against rivals XHITZ-FM, KFMB-FM, and KKLQ.
KHTS may refer to:
KHTS is an AM radio station in Santa Clarita, California, about 30 miles north of Los Angeles. It is owned by Jeri Lyn Broadcasting (formerly Sattleback Broadcasting). It broadcasts at the frequency of 1220 kHz with 1000 watts during the daytime and 500 watts at night. The station is nicknamed Your Hometown Station. The broadcast day consists of a combination of local talk shows and time-brokered programs.
KHTS airs play-by-play coverage of six area high school football teams and the football program at the College of the Canyons, as well as high school basketball. KHTS also has an extensive pro sports lineup, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Kings, and NASCAR auto racing.
When a major disaster hits the Santa Clarita Valley, KHTS pre-empts regular programming for non-stop coverage.
The station has won numerous awards over the years, including Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award in 1995.
1220 AM debuted on the air in Canyon Country in July 1989, under the call letters, KBET, "The Beat of Santa Clarita." The station was founded by a local television engineer, Larry Bloomfield. Bloomfield teamed up with his certified public accountant, Howard “Scott” Howard, who along with other investors, formed Canyon Broadcasters. Andrew Castiglione was the first Chief Engineer that signed KBET 1220 AM Stereo on the air. Andrew Castiglione received from "Radio World Annual Magazine Award" Dated Feb. 1990 as being the 1st Digital, Tapeless, Paperless Radio Station in the World!!! After having difficulty turning KBET into a profitable enterprise, the company filed for bankruptcy in July 1990. Carl Goldman & Jeri Seratti Goldman, took over operation of the station in July 1990. They, along with several other investors, formed Saddleback Broadcasting, the parent company of KBET through 1998.