San Jose's KRTY Radio Sold, Area's Last Remaining Country Station Expected To Sign Off

SAN JOSE (CBS SF) – San Jose-based KRTY, one of the last remaining country radio stations to serve the Bay Area, has reportedly been sold and is expected to drop its format later this year.

According to a filing with the Federal Communications Commission, the radio station at 95.3 FM is being sold to the Educational Media Foundation (EMF).

EMF, which operates Christian radio stations, is expected to broadcast a religious format on the frequency. The group broadcasts the K-Love and Air 1 radio networks on multiple stations in the Bay Area and on hundreds of stations across the country.

Radio industry trade publications AllAccess and RadioInsight.com reported that the sale price was $3.138 million.

The station, which is also one of the last independently operated broadcasters in the market, was owned for many years by Bob Kieve, a former speechwriter for President Dwight Eisenhower. Kieve died in 2020 at the age of 98.

Nate Deaton, the station's VP / general manager said in a press release, "this is the end of a magical era. Bob would be sorry to see the end of Country Radio in San Jose, but we know he would be proud to see how the employees at the station have honored his legacy since they lost Bob two years ago."

KRTY signed on in 1989, at a time when there were multiple country radio stations broadcasting in the Bay Area. In recent years, as the market has changed and as other stations dropped the format, KRTY became the only country radio station audible in much of the region.

According to the FCC filing, the deal is expected to close on June 1 or 10 business days after the agency approves the transaction, whichever is later. The station's current owners will keep the KRTY intellectual property.