Because it shares the same frequency as WSB in Atlanta, it must shut down at sunset.
History
KJEL signed on October 20, 1973[1] on 1080 kHz with a format of middle of the road music and news programming under the ownership of Risner Broadcasting.[3] At the outset, 60 percent of the station's programming was simulcast with KJEL-FM (103.7), which signed on the same day.[3] In 1980, the KJEL stations were sold to a group of businesspeople under the name KJEL, Inc. for $375,000.[4] By 1981, KJEL had affiliated with the ABC Entertainment Network and changed to a country music format while retaining its news programming, with only 10 percent of its programming being simulcast with KJEL-FM;[5] the following year, the two stations began simulcasting full-time.[6]
Ozark Broadcasting purchased the KJEL stations for $450,000 in 1983;[7] this made the stations part of the Shepherd Group.[1] In 1985, the station moved to 750 kHz.[8][9] By then, the FM station, which had become KIRK, was programming a country music format separate from KJEL.[10] In 1988, KJEF became an affiliate of the ABC Information Network; the ABC Entertainment Network affiliation moved to KIRK.[11] On December 1, 1996, the call letters were changed to KBNN,[12] and the station took on a talk radio format.[13]
In March 2007, GoodRadio.TV LLC agreed to buy the Shepherd Group's stations, including KBNN, for $30.6 million.[14] In 2013, GoodRadio.TV was merged into Digity, LLC (both companies were controlled by Dean Goodman) as part of Digity's acquisition of NextMedia.[15] Effective February 25, 2016, Digity was acquired by Alpha Media for $264 million.[16]
