On March 2, 1962, the station first
signed on as KACL. It was owned by Riviera Broadcasting and aired a
middle of the road music format. KACL was a
daytimer, required to go off the air at sunset to protect other radio stations on
1290 AM. In 1974, the ownership changed to KACL, Inc. and the
call sign switched to KKIO. The station broadcast a
country music format, and was an
affiliate of
ABC Information Network. In 1982, the station again switched its call letters, this time to KXXN, broadcasting an
oldies/
classic hits format as "Kicks 1290". After a
bankruptcy, the station was bought by Wastcom Broadcasting in 1984, changing its call sign to KESP. The "ESP" stood for "español", with the station switching to a
Spanish language format. The station received
FCC permission to broadcast around the clock, powered at 122
watts at night. In 1991, the station was acquired by Joyce Erway and the call letters switched to KKSB, with the "SB" standing for the
city of license, Santa Barbara. The music continued to be directed to the area's
Mexican American community, playing Spanish-language hits of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. On December 12, 1995,
Bob Newhart purchased KKSB under the corporate name Rotijefco, Inc. for $299,000. The call letters were changed to KZBN, with the last two letters representing his initials. KZBN adopted an
adult standards format, featuring such artists as
Frank Sinatra,
Dean Martin,
Barbra Streisand, and
Dionne Warwick. In 2005, Newhart sold KZBN to Santa Barbara Broadcasting Inc., owned by Dennis Weibling, and the call sign was changed to KZSB. Although Weibling is a friend of
Santa Barbara News-Press owner
Wendy McCaw, the
News-Press does not actually own KZSB. In December 2021, KZSB's 198-foot red-and-white transmitting tower, which it shares with
KOSJ and
KCLU, and had long been slightly bent, was shortened to 128 feet and topped with four 12-foot "whiskers" in a horizontal X shape, to give the tower extra electrical length. The tower, which is owned by
Rincon Broadcasting, was also painted dark green to better blend with its surroundings. Changes in the radiation properties of the shortened tower required a reduction in the station's night power from 122 to 114 watts. ==See also==