Editing KDWN (section)

==History==
===From music station to talk radio===
KDWN first came on the air on April 7, 1975.<ref>[https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1976/C%20%20Broadcasting%20Yearbook%201976.pdf Broadcasting Yearbook 1976 page C-122]</ref> It was founded by A.J. Williams and Jack Reeder. Williams owned [[KTYM|KTYM-AM]]-[[KRCD (FM)|FM]] in [[Inglewood, California]], and also owned television station [[KAIL]] in [[Fresno]]. Reeder was the chief [[engineer]] of [[KWVE (AM)|KRLA]] in Los Angeles. Reeder died, leaving his half of the station to Williams, who owned the station until his death in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nevadabroadcasters.org/news/index.php?news=38|title = News Producer}}</ref>

The station began by broadcasting a [[Full service (radio format)|full service]] format of [[Middle of the road (music)|middle of the road music]], news, sports and talk. The music format lasted longer on KDWN than on most AM radio stations of the day. In the 1970s, many AM stations were leaving music formats to FM, and switching over to talk programming. From 1978 to 1985, KDWN also was hosting sports talk at night, with 'The Stardust Line' on Sunday nights. 'The Stardust Line', broadcasting from The [[Stardust Resort and Casino]], was hosted by [[Lee Pete]] and NFL football great [[Jim Brown]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Steve|last=Carplas|title=Former local radio host Lee Pete dies|date=March 25, 2010|newspaper=Las Vegas Review-Journal|url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/former-local-radio-host-lee-pete-dies-2/|access-date=November 15, 2021}}</ref> For West Coast sports fans, KDWN was the first early source for betting lines and sports information from Nevada.

KDWN's transition from music to talk began slowly. In the late 1970s, KDWN aired a mix of music and some talk during the day. In January 1980, KDWN began broadcasting talk around the clock. KDWN was the top news/talk outlet in the Las Vegas [[Media market|radio market]] and won an award for its coverage of the 1980 [[MGM Grand Fire]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Aug-21-Thu-2003/news/21986997.html|title = Las Vegas News &#124; Breaking News & Headlines| date=May 26, 2023 }}</ref>

Unlike most Las Vegas-area stations, KDWN remained locally owned, even as most of its competitors were bought out by large radio corporations such as [[Clear Channel Communications]] and [[Infinity Broadcasting]]. The continuity of ownership kept a consistent style of station sound. The station continued to rely on experienced, yet older, hosts who may have had been with the station since it began broadcasting in the talk radio format. The station did well in the ratings as one of the first generation of talk radio stations. [[Call screening]] was not used until recently.<ref>[http://www.radio-info.com/mods/board.php?Post=442130&Board=nevada]{{dead link|date=December 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

===Art Bell and Rush Limbaugh===
Noted radio talk host [[Art Bell]], after minor jobs at several [[California]] radio and TV stations, began hosting an all-night show on KDWN in 1983. KDWN had just been granted permission from the [[Federal Communications Commission]] to increase its nighttime power from 10,000 watts to 50,000 watts.<ref>[https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1984/B-Radio-All-BC-YB-1984.pdf Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1984 page B-161]</ref> KDWN was now audible with a good radio between nighttime and dawn in [[Los Angeles]], [[San Francisco]] and around the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]]. Bell called the show "West Coast AM" because it aired between 1 and 6 a.m. [[Pacific Time]].

Bell began by discussing mostly politics. But he increasingly added discussions of the [[paranormal]] and [[conspiracy theories]] to the program, resulting in increased ratings and national attention. The show got nationwide syndication in 1993, when it was renamed ''[[Coast to Coast AM]]''. Bell did the show from the [[Plaza Hotel & Casino|Plaza Hotel]], where KDWN had studios. Later it moved to a studio in his home in nearby [[Pahrump, Nevada]], in [[Nye County]]. Eventually KDWN, no longer in control of the program, decided not to continue carrying it in syndication and it was picked up by rival Las Vegas talk station [[KXNT (AM)|KXNT]].

KDWN was one of the first radio stations to carry [[Rush Limbaugh]]'s nationally syndicated show in 1988. Limbaugh helped boost KDWN's midday ratings. In 1996, with the rates to carry it increasing, KDWN decided not to renew the show. Like ''Coast to Coast AM'', ''[[The Rush Limbaugh Show]]'' moved to KXNT. KDWN produced and broadcast a local morning show, ''The Snoozebusters'', from the early 1980s until 2006. It was hosted by Ken Stahl and Hart Kirsch.

===Beasley Broadcasting acquisition, trade to Audacy===
In March 2006, [[Beasley Broadcast Group]], a [[Naples, Florida]]–based company, announced plans to buy the station for $17 million.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060324005393&newsLang=en|title=Beasley Broadcast Group to Acquire KDWN-AM in Las Vegas for $17 Million|access-date=April 21, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930040722/http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060324005393&newsLang=en|archive-date=September 30, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> A Las Vegas newspaper reported a rumor that KDWN would change to an [[Sports radio|all-sports]] format, effective July 1, 2006, although the switch did not happen. Host Jim Dallas reported on ''Wake Up, America'' on July 21, 2006, that audience backlash against the change forced Beasley to retain the talk radio format.

In the fall of 2006, Beasley introduced a morning [[drive time]] news and information show hosted by [[Heidi Harris]], with the remainder of its weekday talk format consisting of nationally syndicated shows and local brokered programming. Harris' show was discontinued in 2012, with the nationally syndicated [[Laura Ingraham]] show moved into the morning time slot which was later discontinued. Harris had also been heard on KDWN from 1988 to 1998.

In June 2017, the [[Las Vegas Raiders|Oakland Raiders]], in preparation for [[Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas|their relocation to Las Vegas]], announced that a two–year deal had been reached with the Beasley Broadcast Group to carry Raiders games on KDWN and FM [[sister station]] [[KCYE]], starting with the [[2017 NFL season]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/raiders-nfl/raiders-announce-las-vegas-tv-radio-partnerships/|title = Raiders announce Las Vegas TV, radio partnerships|date = June 2017}}</ref> In 2019, the team moved their broadcasts to [[KYMT]].

On October 6, 2022, Beasley Broadcasting announced a station swap with [[Audacy, Inc.]], wherein Beasley would swap ownership of KDWN to Audacy in exchange for ownership of [[KXTE]].<ref>[https://radioinsight.com/headlines/243669/beasley-and-audacy-swap-stations-in-las-vegas/ Beasley and Audacy Swap Stations in Las Vegas]</ref>

===End of transmission===
On February 13, 2023, Audacy announced that KDWN would be signing off on March 1, while the translator would remain on air with the same programming. In November 2022, Audacy sold the land that the AM transmitter sat on for $40 million. KDWN was diplexed with [[KXST]] near the [[Las Vegas Motor Speedway]]; on the same day, Audacy also announced that KXST would also go dark.

With the station signing off, KXNT replaced KDWN as the primary entry point in Southern Nevada for the [[Emergency Alert System]]. KDWN's programming remains available on K268CS (101.5 FM), which is fed via [[KMXB]]-HD3.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/248648/audacy-to-sign-off-pair-of-las-vegas-ams|title=Audacy to Sign Off Pair of Las Vegas AMs|work=Radio Insight|date=February 14, 2023 }}</ref>

On March 1, 2023, at midnight, following the station's broadcast of Audacy-based podcast ''Perilous World Radio'', the station gave a final message redirecting listeners to the FM signal or Audacy app, then played the state anthem, ''[[Home Means Nevada]]'', as sung by [[The Killers]] (a live recording from October 19, 2010), then a station ID before concluding with the [[Star-Spangled Banner]] as performed by [[Alabama (band)|Alabama]], a picture of the transmitter sites transmitted using [[slow scan television]], and a series of [[Q code]] messages ending with "KDWN QRT", the latter portion the Q code signal to end transmission. KDWN remained on the air with a [[dead air]] transmission in anticipation of a final additional DX test scheduled for March 2, prior to the station's final sign off at midnight on March 2, 2023.<ref>[https://youtube.com/watch?v=xyddrXyTBXI "KDWN 720 and KXST 1140 sign off March 2 2023"- YouTube]</ref>

On September 21, 2023, KDWN and sister station KXST filed applications with the FCC to relocate the two stations' towers and return to the air. No exact timeline was given.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/259148/fcc-report-9-24-audacy-proposes-to-revive-silent-las-vegas-ams|title= FCC Report 9/24: Audacy Proposes to Revive Silent Las Vegas AMs|work=RadioInsight|date=September 24, 2023|access-date=November 30, 2023}}</ref> The stations did not return to the air within a year of shutting down;<ref name="ri-kdwnclosure">{{cite news |last1=Venta |first1=Lance |title=Audacy Surrenders KDWN & KXST Licenses After Failing To Restore Operations Before Deadline |url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/265979/audacy-surrenders-kdwn-kxst-licenses-after-failing-to-restore-operations-before-deadline/ |access-date=March 12, 2024 |work=RadioInsight |date=March 11, 2024}}</ref> on March 11, 2024, Audacy submitted an application to cancel the license.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/views/public/amDraftCopy?displayType=html&appKey=25076ff38e2c2211018e2ecf71d70e56&id=25076ff38e2c2211018e2ecf71d70e56&goBack=N|title=Cancellation Application|work=Federal Communications Commission Licensing and Management System|date=March 11, 2024|access-date=March 11, 2024}}</ref>

The [[Federal Communications Commission]] cancelled the station’s license on March 22, 2024 because it had been [[Dark (broadcasting)|silent]] for more than twelve consecutive months.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/publicFacilityDetails.html?facilityId=54686|title=License Cancelled|work=Federal Communications Commission Licensing and Management System|date=March 22, 2024|access-date=March 22, 2024}}</ref>