Documentary Celebrates KSL Centennial
• Bonneville’s venerable KSL NewsRadio/Salt Lake City joins several other legendary radio stations across America that are marking their landmark 100th anniversary this year. This weekend, to celebrate this momentous milestone, KSL and sister KSL-TV will simulcast the documentary KSL Radio 100 Years.
It was May 6, 1922, when Utah became the broadcast home of the first clear channel radio station in the western United States. At the time the call letters were KZN, as in “K-Zion,” and broadcasts were done from a shack on top of the Deseret News Building. Two years later the call letters were changed to KSL, short for “K-Salt Lake.” (Check out the size of the speakers on the roof of this early KSL remote broadcast truck!)
In 2005, KSL began simulcasting on 102.7 FM, making it the first Utah radio news outlet on the FM dial and the first station in Utah to simulcast on both AM & FM.
“Since the beginning, our ownership has recognized the power of media to have influence on communities,” said Darrell Brown, President of Bonneville International. “We put purpose before profits, and I think that’s why KSL enjoys the reputation that it does.” Tanya Vea, EVP of Bonneville International and Salt Lake GM, remarked, “We helped pioneer radio but technology is evolving and so we continue to innovate. At our core we are a content company distributing information to reach our audiences wherever they are — their cars, online or through a smart speaker.”
The documentary not only looks back at the legacy station’s history and community service, it also reveals how innovations in digital broadcasting and podcasting are shaping KSL’s future. KSL Radio 100 Years airs on KSL-TV and KSL NewsRadio this Saturday, April 2 at 4pm MDT.
