The AM audience has dwindled, in part because there is more interference than ever from smartphones and other electronics. Tall buildings in suburban areas have also dampened AM signals. In the late ’70s, half of all radio listenership was on the AM dial; today, it’s only about 15 percent. But you like to kick it old-school, with amplitude and not frequency. Here’s your guide to the North Texas AM airwaves.
KDFT 540, La Poderosa
Ferris
A hysterical, overmodulated woman yells at you, through tears, about Jesus. Listen if: You speak Spanish, love Jesus, and need drama in your life.
KLIF 570
Dallas
The most historic station in town is now a mix of loony syndicated talk (Geraldo, Mike Huckabee) and local car talk (Ed Wallace). Listen if: You hate Obama and want to know more about the 2014 Chevy Volt.
KMKI 620, Radio Disney
Plano
Selena Gomez and Katy Perry and Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez. And Taylor Swift. Listen if: You are a 12-year-old girl.
KSKY 660, The Answer
Balch Springs
Conservative white guys (Bill Bennett, Mark Davis) talking about America and eagles. Listen if: You just can’t get enough anti-Obama blather from KLIF.
KHSE 700
Wylie
Spanish Christian music and talk. Listen if: You find it charming when the host leaves his cellphone on, and it rings in the studio.
KKDA 730, Dallas Korean
Grand Prairie
We’d like to tell you. Listen if: You hate Kim Jong-un. Or love him. Again, we can’t tell.
KAAM 770, Legends
Garland
A mix of light oldies and advice from “pros,” punctuated by pro-American jingoism. Listen if: The Reverse Mortgage Hour or Cancer Update sound like good shows and if you enjoyed Rocky IV.
WBAP 820, News Talk
Fort Worth
Yet more white guys talking about America (Rush Limbaugh, Chris Krok). Listen if: You like Hal Jay’s emphysema laugh.
KJON 850, Guadalupe Radio Network
Carrollton
As Catholic as Catholic can get, in Spanish, with anti-abortion talk and a daily mass from Our Lady of the Angels Chapel. Listen if: You’re Wick Allison and you’re working on your Spanish.
KFJZ 870
Fort Worth
Korean music and Korean talk. Listen if: You enjoy hwangpomuk.
KTXV 890,
English China Radio International
Mabank
The state-owned broadcast of the People’s Republic of China. Listen if: You are a U.S. spy tasked with gathering intel on China, but for some reason you never learned Mandarin.
KATH 910, Guadalupe Radio Network
Frisco
The English broadcast of KJON 850. Listen if: You cherish the sanctity of life and you don’t speak Spanish.
KHVN 970, Heaven 97
Fort Worth
Gospel music and good Christian shows, including The Miracle Revival Hour, which is on from 9:30 am to 9:45 am. Listen if: You are T.D. Jakes and have an elastic definition of time.
KFCD 990
Farmersville
Spanish talk and paid programming. Every weekday, Pastor Orlando Enamorado does an 11-hour show, from 7 am to 6 pm. Listen if: You think you have the stamina to keep up with Pastor Enamorado.
KGGR 1040, Great Gospel Radio
Dallas
Weekdays, it broadcasts 18 shows, none longer than 30 minutes, hosted by either a pastor or a bishop. Listen if: You need to be constantly connected to God and you crave variety.
KRLD 1080, NewsRadio
Dallas
News. On the radio. Listen if: You want to hear the news.
KHFX 1140
Cleburne
A man yelling in Spanish about Jesus. Listen if: You don’t want to go to hell.
KVCE 1160, DFW’s Business Authority
Highland Park
A bunch of white guys talking about jobs and the market and business and business solutions. Listen if: You turn to radio to listen to commercials.
KFXR 1190
Dallas
Overnight, for five hours, it broadcasts Coast to Coast, a conspiracy show about alien abductions and time travel. Then comes the really weird stuff: Glenn Beck. Listen if: You’re certain Obama killed JFK.
KFLC 1270,
Univision America Dallas
Fort Worth
Syndicated Spanish talk. Listen if: Usted está preocupado acerca de cómo la nueva ley de identificación de votantes de Texas afectará el panorama político.
KTCK 1310, The Ticket
Dallas
See story on page 52. Listen if: You live in Dallas and like radio.
KAND 1340, Real Country
Corsicana
Kevin Ward works in sales at KAND. “He loves people, and his skills translate to his comfort with and abilities to deal with customers and make new friends.” Listen if: Kevin is your rep, and you want to hear the spot you recorded for your Ford dealership.
KMNY 1360, La Voz
Hurst
Mexican music. (We know that’s overly broad, but you don’t want us to break down conjunto norteño and banda and so on.) Listen if: You enjoy diatonic accordion.
KGVL 1400, Friendlee 1400
Greenville
The original facility was built by Truett Kimzey, who gained fame in the ’30s as the announcer for the Light Crust Doughboys on KFJZ in Fort Worth. Now it broadcasts country music from “Texans, legends, and outlaws.” Listen if: You like awesome things.
KTNO 1440, Radio Luz
University Park
If all the pastors on KGGR 1040 learned how to speak Spanish, this is the station they’d broadcast on. Listen if: You’re a wealthy person in the Park Cities who is about to buy this frequency and turn it over to the kids at Highland Park High School.
KCLE 1460, ESPN
Burleson
A mix of national ESPN programming, stuff out of Central Texas, local sports talk, and Trade Fair, with Jimmy Aiken. Listen if: You can’t get The Ticket or The Fan or ESPN and if you have a smoker that you want to trade for some fence-repair work.
KBXD 1480, Proclaiming His Promises
Dallas
Christian talk and Southern gospel. It broadcasts The Prophesy Club, which is described thusly: “Jesus has been screaming at His bride in America to stop sinning. The Church is dancing around her golden calf increased with goods but God is pulling the house down to get us to turn us back to Him. God knows exactly what it will take to wake up America and it is a series of nuclear bombs!” Listen if: You didn’t find that hilarious. Or if you did.
KZMP 1540, ESPN
University Park
ESPN in Spanish. Listen if: GOAAALLLLLL!
KPYK 1570, The Pick of the Dial
Terrell
Big bands, Terrell High School sports, and Terrell City Council meetings. Listen if: You like to warm up with some Benny Goodman before learning whether Buc-ee’s owner Arch “Beaver” Aplin will get his zoning change.
KRVA 1600, Radio Saigon Dallas
Cockrell Hill
Vietnamese community radio. Listen if: You dream in diacritical marks.
KKGM 1630, Southern Gospel
Fort Worth
Bill Gaither’s Homecoming Radio anchors a lineup that also includes Hope for the Heart and Friendship With God. Listen if: You like gospel music, but you wish it wasn’t so “ethnic.”
KKLF 1700, 24/7 Comedy
Richardson
If you thought the AM dial was only black gospel and white gospel and Vietnamese talk and anti-Obama rhetoric, then you’re wrong. There’s this, the last station on the dial. It broadcasts jokes. Listen if: You like to tell people jokes you heard, but you always screw up the punch line, so it gets awkward.
