A long-standing Santa Maria news/talk radio station will go off the air, a country music station will get new owners and a third station owned by Knight Broadcasting has been gifted to a Ventura County university.
KUHL-AM, dubbed The Information Station, will end after 70 years of serving the Santa Maria and Lompoc valleys since attempts to sell it weren’t successful. In addition to broadcasting at 1440, the station’s programs have been simulcast on 106.3 FM.
Another Knight station, KRAZy Country 105.9, has been sold to a former employee, Stefan Carpenter, a former program director, and Erron Vela of Santa Barbara. They will operate the business under the name Santa Ynez Valley Media Inc., with Vela serving as president and Carpenter as vice president.
A third Knight station, KSYV, known as Mix 96.7 for its adult contemporary music format, has been donated to California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, according to a Federal Communications Commission filing. KSYV, which is licensed in Solvang, will end its music format.
A complex set of circumstances has led to the decision to silence KUHL, owner Sandra Knight told employees this week.
That includes the future sale of the building at 1101 S. Broadway that houses the Knight stations and another firm’s station, La Raza 102.1 FM and 1380 AM.
“With regard to KUHL, I have spoken with many people who have been in radio for many years, and the issues are simply too complex and expensive to unwind,” Knight wrote. “Therefore, sadly, we will simply be turning the station off when KSYV and KRAZ are moved.”
The equipment will be sold, if possible, according to Knight.
“I realize that KUHL is a long-standing station in the Santa Maria community, and this pains me very much. I have spent countless hours and many sleepless nights trying to unwind this, but there are too many variables, moving parts, and problems I can’t find a solution to,” Knight added.
The closure comes two years after her husband and company founder, Shawn Knight, died in a paragliding accident in eastern Ventura County. Sandra Knight works as a school administrator for the Orcutt Union School District.
“KUHL has been a strong asset for the community for a very long time,” said Mark van de Kamp, the City of Santa Maria’s public information manager. “It pains me any time a media organization shrinks or closes. KUHL was one of several media who covered the city well.”
The end of KUHL also will silence Ben Heighes and his morning “Information Now” program, where generations of elected officials and other community leaders have shared their news. City Council members often previewed upcoming meetings beforehand on KUHL and then recapped decisions the morning after.
“A number of our city directors and staff, including myself, went on the air repeatedly to share upcoming city events and answer Ben’s insightful questions about the city,” van de Kamp added. “It will be missed.”
Santa Barbara County Fourth District Supervisor Bob Nelson grew up listening to KUHL, calling it “a formative fixture in my life,” from Los Angeles Dodgers games to Rush Limbaugh and G. Gordon Liddy shows.
Heighes’ morning show has become “a Santa Maria Valley institution,” Nelson added.
“I understand the challenges that Sandy was facing with keeping the business going after Shawn Knight’s tragic death a few years ago,” Nelson said. “I am unsure if it’s viable, but I hope someone else can pick up the torch and restart the station in the future.”
Heighes, who was born in Santa Barbara and graduated from Santa Maria High School, has been in radio since he was 17 years old.
“I was on the air here for 33 years, and I will miss the station terribly. I still plan to remain on the air until our last day of broadcast, which may be around Memorial Day weekend,” Heighes said in a social media post.
He said he is looking for another radio opportunity to replace his main job once it ends, but will continue providing news on AM 1290 KZSB in Santa Barbara and hopes to work as a stringer for National Public Radio in the Santa Ynez Valley.
He also runs the Benz Jamz mobile DJ business, entertaining crowds around Central California.
On Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission approved the transfer of KRAZy Country to the new owners.
However, FCC approval of the KSYV assignment to Cal Lutheran remained pending as of Thursday, according to the federal agency.
Cal Lutheran, based in Thousand Oaks, already operates KCLU, and the addition of KSYV would expand the signal. Along with being a member of NPR, the station airs local news, weather forecasts and traffic conditions as well as a wide variety of public radio programs.
“Because KRAZ and KSYV shared so much equipment, it was extremely difficult to separate them: They are essentially Siamese twins. For that reason, we are hoping to receive FCC approval for KSYV because it will go off the air when KRAZ is moved,” Knight said.