“Due to economic conditions in the market, the licensee was forced to take the station off the air temporarily,” the filing reads. “The licensee respectfully requests special temporary authority for the station to remain silent. The licensee will promptly notify the Commission when it is able to resume station operations.”
The filing means the station has gone silent for now, not permanently shut down. Under federal rules, a station can remain off the air for up to a year before its license automatically expires if broadcasts don’t resume.
KKAM, which signed on in 1953, most recently aired a news-talk format after a 2019 flip. Over the decades, the station cycled through multiple formats, including sports talk, and at one point served as the radio flagship for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
The station broadcast on a 1,000-watt AM signal across the Lubbock area and was simulcast on 103.9 FM. Its studios were located in south Lubbock, with a transmitter site in Klapp Park southwest of downtown.
Townsquare Media owns the station’s license and operates several others in the Lubbock market, including News/Talk 790 KFYO and music stations KFMX and Lonestar 99.5. The company has made staff cuts in multiple markets over the past year and reported declining revenue, including a double-digit drop in broadcast advertising in 2025, according to industry reports and company filings.
Chron has reached out to Townsquare Media for comment.