View source for KAJA (FM)

{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name             = KAJA
| logo             = KAJA_Official_Station_Logo.png
| city             = [[San Antonio|San Antonio, Texas]]
| area             = [[San Antonio metropolitan area]]
| branding         = KJ97<br>(phonetically spoken as "Key-Jey 97")
| frequency        = 97.3 [[Hertz|MHz]] {{HD Radio}}
| airdate          = {{start date and age|1951}} (as KITE-FM)
| format           = [[Country music|Country]]
| language         = [[American English|English]]
| erp              = 100,000 [[watt]]s
| haat             = {{convert|300|m|ft|sp=us}}
| class            = C0
| facility_id      = 11919
| coordinates      = {{coord|29|31|26.0|N|98|43|26.0|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=KAJA}}
| callsign_meaning = '''KA'''y '''JA'''y
| former_callsigns = KITE-FM (1951–1957)<br>KENN-FM (1957–1958)<br>KEEZ (1958–1978)<br>WOAI-FM (1978–1981)
| owner            = [[iHeartMedia, Inc.]]
| licensee         = iHM Licenses, LLC
| affiliations     = [[Premiere Networks]]
| sister_stations  = [[KXXM]], [[KQXT-FM]], [[KRPT]], [[KZEP-FM]], [[KTKR]], [[WOAI (AM)|WOAI]]
| webcast          = [https://www.iheart.com/live/kj97-2337/ Listen Live]
| website          = [https://kj97.iheart.com kj97.iheart.com]
| licensing_authority= [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]
}}

'''KAJA''' (97.3 [[Hertz|MHz]] "KJ97") is a [[commercial radio|commercial]] [[FM broadcasting|FM]] [[radio station]] [[City of license|licensed]] to [[San Antonio|San Antonio, Texas]].  It airs a [[country music]] [[radio format]] and is owned by locally based [[iHeartMedia, Inc.]]   The [[radio studio|studio]]s and offices are located in the [[Stone Oak, San Antonio|Stone Oak]] neighborhood in Far North San Antonio.

KAJA has an [[effective radiated power]] (ERP) of 100,000 [[watt]]s, the maximum for non-[[grandfather clause|grandfathered]] FM stations.<ref>[https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?call=KAJA&fileno=&state=&city=&freq=0.0&fre2=107.9&serv=&status=&facid=&asrn=&class=&list=0&ThisTab=Results+to+This+Page%2FTab&dist=&dlat2=&mlat2=&slat2=&NS=N&dlon2=&mlon2=&slon2=&EW=W&size=9 FCC.gov/KAJA]</ref>  The [[transmitter]] site is off Galm Road in the [[Neighborhoods and districts of San Antonio#Far West Side|Far West Side]] of San Antonio, near [[Government Canyon State Natural Area]].<ref>[https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/finder?call=kaja&x=0&y=0&sr=Y&s=C Radio-Locator.com/KAJA]</ref>

==History==
In 1951, the station [[sign-on|signed on]] as '''KITE-FM'''.<ref>[https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1952/Radio-All-1952-BC-YB.pdf Information] from the [[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting Yearbook]] 1952 page 283</ref>  It [[simulcast]] co-owned [[AM 930]] KITE (now [[KLUP]]).  Because KITE was a [[daytimer]] at the time, KITE-FM was able to continue its programming into the night.  KITE-AM-FM were owned by Charles W. Balthrope.  KITE-FM transmitted with 6,200 watts, a fraction of its current output.

A few years later, the station flipped to a [[beautiful music]] format.  The [[call sign]] switched to '''KEEZ''' in 1958, to reflect [[easy listening]] music. In 1960, KEEZ and KITE were bought by the Townsend U.S. International Growth Fund.<ref>[https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1960/B%20All%20Radio%20Yearbook%201960.pdf Broadcasting Yearbook 1960 page 239]</ref>  The power increased to 17,500 watts, covering San Antonio and its suburbs in that era.

KEEZ was sold to San Antonio Broadcasting Company in 1975. SABC was owned by [[Lowry Mays]], [[Red McCombs]], and Paul Schaffer (no relation to [[Paul Schaffer]] of [[Late Show with David Letterman|The Late Show]] fame). A year later the same owners bought [[1200 AM|AM 1200]] [[WOAI (AM)|WOAI]], and owing to WOAI operating as a 50,000-[[watt]] [[clear-channel station]], named their company [[IHeartMedia#History|Clear Channel Communications]]. In the late seventies SABC and Clear Channel were merged into a new Clear Channel, which went on to own more than 1,000 radio stations.

KEEZ became '''WOAI-FM''' from 1978-1981.  The station adopted the '''KAJA''' call letters and current country format in 1981.  In 1987, KAJA got a rival FM station, when 100.3 [[KCYY]] began its own country music format.  KAJA and KCYY, owned by [[Cox Media]], have competed for San Antonio country listeners for more than three decades.

On October 18, 2010, KAJA won the 2010 [[Country Music Association]] (CMA) Large Market Radio Station of the Year award. This was the station's first CMA award win. The staff accepted the award at the show in November.<ref>[http://www.pitchengine.com/2010-cma-awards-broadcast-winner-announced/95438 2010 CMA awards]{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In October 2012, Randy Carroll and Jamie Martin won the 2012 CMA Large Market Personality of the Year award. It was their first CMA win. They accepted their awards at the show on November 1.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://kj97.iheart.com KJ-97's website]
{{FM station data|742786|KAJA}}

{{San Antonio Radio}}
{{Country Radio Stations in Texas}}
{{Clear Channel}}
{{The Bobby Bones Show}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Country radio stations in the United States]]
[[Category:Radio stations in San Antonio|AJA]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1951]]
[[Category:IHeartMedia radio stations]]
[[Category:1951 establishments in Texas]]