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KROD

El Paso, Texas
Broadcast area	El Paso metropolitan area
Frequency	600 kHz
Branding	Sports 600 ESPN
Programming
Format	Sports
Affiliations	ESPN Radio NFL on Westwood One
Ownership
Owner	Townsquare Media (Townsquare Media of El Paso, Inc.)
Sister stations	KLAQ, KSII
History
First air date	June 1, 1940
Former frequencies	1500 kHz (1941–1948)
Call sign meaning	Dorance D. Roderick (original owner)
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	14908
Class	B
Power	5,000 watts
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	krod.com

KROD (600 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in El Paso, Texas, United States. It airs a sports format and is owned and operated by Townsquare Media. The offices and studios are located on North Mesa Street (Texas State Highway 20) in Northwest El Paso.

KROD broadcasts at 5,000 watts around the clock. At night, when radio waves travel farther, it uses a directional antenna to avoid interfering with other stations on AM 600. It is the West Texas primary entry point station for the Emergency Alert System. The transmitter is located off Dyer Street (U.S. Business Route 54) in far north El Paso.

Programming

The station is a network affiliate of ESPN Radio. KROD breaks from ESPN Radio on weekday afternoon drive time for "KROD Sportstalk with Steve Kaplowitz". The station carries Pacific Coast League baseball games as the flagship station of the El Paso Chihuahuas. It also broadcasts the El Paso Rhinos in the Western States Hockey League, UTEP Miners football, UTEP Miners men's basketball, UTEP Miners women's basketball, the NFL on Westwood One and Texas Longhorns football.

History

Early years

A construction permit for KROD was issued in 1936, to operate on 1500 kHz, then a local channel, with 100 watts full-time. The station signed on the air on June 1, 1940, as El Paso's second radio station after KTSM, which was established in 1929. The call sign KROD stood for Dorrance D. Roderick, the station's original owner and the publisher of the El Paso Times newspaper. The studios were at 2201 Wyoming Street, now the home of Channel 38 KSCE. KROD was a CBS Radio Network affiliate, carrying its schedule of dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows and big band broadcasts during the "Golden Age of Radio".

A short time after going on the air, KROD increased its power to 250 watts and had a construction permit to move to 600 kHz. The move to AM 600 was coupled with an increase in power to 1,000 watts by day, 500 watts at night. A new four tower array was constructed during 1941. The 600 kHz transmitter was on Dyer Street in Northeast El Paso, where the Sunrise Shopping Center now stands. The transmitter moved to 10420 Dyer in the late 1960s.

Adding TV and FM stations

By 1950, KROD had increased its power to 5,000 watts full time. An advertisement in the 1953 Broadcasting Yearbook said that KROD had the "greatest coverage of any radio station in El Paso," with the biggest audience, the largest dollar value and unrivaled local programs. In 1952, a television station was added, Channel 4 KROD-TV (now KDBC-TV). Because KROD was a CBS affiliate, KROD-TV also aired CBS programming.

As network programming moved from radio to television, KROD began playing music. In 1959, KROD-AM-TV were acquired by Trigg-Vaughn Stations, with Cecil Trigg serving as President. KROD moved to a full service middle of the road (MOR) format of popular music, news and sports. The station used the catch phrase "The Big 600". The station also aired University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) sports, specifically, NCAA Division I Men's Football and NCAA Division I Men's Basketball, for much of its history. This is depicted by the KROD banners in the movie Glory Road.

Channel 4 was sold to the Doubleday Broadcasting Company in 1973, changing its call letters to KDBC-TV, while KROD was sold to Desert Horizons, Inc. In 1978, KROD added an FM station, 95.5 KLAQ. While KROD continued its MOR format, KLAQ began by playing progressive rock music, later switching to album rock.

Oldies, talk, sports

In the 1980s, KROD switched to oldies music. New Wave Communications acquired KROD and KLAQ in 1995, switching AM 600 to a talk and sports format. In 1999, KROD and KLAQ changed hands again, this time to Regent Communications, Inc.

On January 18, 2011, KROD dropped its talk programming, changing to all sports, with programming from ESPN Radio. KROD and KLAQ were also acquired by Townsquare Media.

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for KROD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. Radio-Locator.com/KROD
3. "Dodgers Radio Network". Los Angeles Dodgers. Archived from the original on March 15, 2007. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
4. "KROD to broadcast Texas Longhorn football games". El Paso Times.
5. Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. February 1937. p. 108.
6. Broadcasting Yearbook 1941 page 160
7. "Digging Dividends from Isolation (advertisement)". Broadcasting and Broadcast Advertising. 21 (20). Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc.: 48 November 17, 1941.
8. Broadcasting Yearbook 1953 page 286
9. Broadcasting Yearbook 1960 page A-233
10. Broadcasting Yearbook 1980 page C-222
11. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2010 page D-524
12. "Chichuahuas and Townsquare Extend Partnership" El Paso Herald Post, Feb. 17, 2017

External links

• Facility details for Facility ID 14908 (KROD) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• KROD in Nielsen Audio's AM station database

v t e City of El Paso
Nickname: Sun City
Primary and secondary education	El Paso ISD high schools Andress Austin Bowie Burges Chapin Coronado El Paso High Franklin Irvin Jefferson Silva Health Magnet Transmountain Early College Ysleta ISD high schools and notable schools Bel Air Del Valle Eastwood J. M. Hanks Parkland Riverside Ysleta High Valle Verde Early College Alicia R. Chacón International School (K-8) Socorro ISD high schools Americas El Dorado Montwood Pebble Hills Other high schools not in the city limits Other school districts Canutillo ISD Private schools Cathedral High School Loretto Academy Father Yermo Lydia Patterson Institute Radford School César Chávez Academy El Paso Academy East El Paso Country Day School Journey Academy Keys Academy Paso Del Norte Academy Plato Academy Special campuses College Career and Technology Academy Delta Academy Occupational Center Regional Day School For The Deaf San Jacinto Adult Learning Center Telles Academy Young Women's STEAM Research & Preparatory Academy
Higher education	University of Texas at El Paso El Paso Community College Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso
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Media	Print media El Paso Times El Diario de El Paso Former print media El Paso Herald-Post Radio stations KAMA KBNA-FM KELP KHEY KHEY-FM KHRO KINT-FM KKLY KLAQ KOFX KPAS KPRR KQBU KROD KSII KSVE KTEP KTSM KTSM-FM KVER KVIV KYSE WNG652 WXK25 XHTO-FM Television stations K22NM-D K27OJ-D KCOS KDBC KFOX KINT KSCE KTFN KVIA KTSM
Hospitals	William Beaumont Army Medical Center University Medical Center Sierra Medical Center Las Palmas Medical Center Del Sol Medical Center Sierra Providence East Medical Center El Paso Children's Hospital Providence Memorial Hospital
Military	Biggs Army Airfield Fort Bliss
Theaters	Abraham Chavez Theatre Plaza Theater
Museums	Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens Chamizal National Memorial El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center El Paso Museum of Archaeology El Paso Museum of Art El Paso Museum of History La Nube Magoffin Home State Historic Site National Border Patrol Museum Railroad and Transportation Museum of El Paso
Parks and gardens	Chamizal National Memorial Franklin Mountains State Park Hueco Tanks State Historic Site McKelligon Canyon San Jacinto Plaza Wyler Aerial Tramway
International border crossings	Bridge of the Americas Good Neighbor International Bridge Paso del Norte International Bridge Ysleta–Zaragoza International Bridge
Transportation	El Paso International Airport Horizon Airport Union Depot
Organizations based in El Paso	El Paso Intelligence Center Frontera Women's Foundation Ysleta del Sur Pueblo
Companies based in El Paso	Chico's Tacos Cinco Puntos Press Dos Lunas Tequila El Paso Corp. El Paso Electric El Paso Media Group Fred Loya Insurance Government Employees Credit Union (El Paso) Helen of Troy Limited Lucchese Boot Company The Popular (department store) Sonic Ranch Spira Footwear Inc. Tony Lama Boots Trost & Trost Western Refining
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Category:El Paso, Texas El Paso County * Texas * United States

31°54′56″N 106°23′33″W / 31.91556°N 106.39250°W / 31.91556; -106.39250

• 1936 establishments in Texas
• Radio stations established in 1936
• Radio stations in El Paso, Texas
• Sports radio stations in the United States
• Townsquare Media radio stations
• UTEP Miners football
• ESPN Radio stations