KONK
Encyclopedia
KONK is a community radio
operation in Key West, Florida
. , it broadcasts through a brokering
agreement with licensed AM broadcasting
station WKIZ
on 1500 kHz. Program material originating from the station's White Street studio is broadcast via 3 towers located on 5th Avenue on Stock Island.
The station is owned by Overseas Radio, LLC, and managed by founder Guy deBoer.
(FCC) Part 15 low power rules, broadcasting on 1630 kHz (and later, 1680 kHz) at 1 milliwatt
from a single 130 ft. tower in Cow Key Channel on Simonton Street, covering only the island of Key West. KONK's venture into community radio was a first for Key West, as is the all-talk format.
In May 2010, Overseas Radio began brokering broadcasting time on WKIZ, a 250-watt radio station owned by Seattle Streaming Radio, dramatically increasing its coverage area to the entire Florida Keys
and even to Havana, Cuba.
with callers and guests covering a variety of topics of local and larger interest. Shows, topics, and hosts change every hour from 7am to 6pm weekdays, with local music aired outside of those times. Special productions, including live music performances, are aired on weekends.
The show ArtWaves is broadcast weekdays by community arts advocate and producer Michael Shields. The daily show focuses on the Key West arts community, showcasing artists from every discipline, arts administrators and policy makers, the arts business community and non-profit sectors, alike.
The radio station was called "The Best Talk Radio Station in Florida" by Florida Monthly magazine (September, 2010).
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...
operation in Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
. , it broadcasts through a brokering
Brokered programming
Brokered programming is a form of broadcast content in which the show's producer pays a radio or television station for air time, rather than exchanging programming for pay or the opportunity to play spot commercials...
agreement with licensed AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
station WKIZ
WKIZ
WKIZ is a radio station broadcasting a local community talk format format. Licensed to Key West, Florida, USA, the station is currently owned by Seattle Streaming Radio, LLC, and brokered to Overseas Radio, LLC, the owners of KONK radio....
on 1500 kHz. Program material originating from the station's White Street studio is broadcast via 3 towers located on 5th Avenue on Stock Island.
The station is owned by Overseas Radio, LLC, and managed by founder Guy deBoer.
History
KONK originally signed on May 26, 2009 as an unlicensed station operating under U.S. Federal Communications CommissionFederal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) Part 15 low power rules, broadcasting on 1630 kHz (and later, 1680 kHz) at 1 milliwatt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
from a single 130 ft. tower in Cow Key Channel on Simonton Street, covering only the island of Key West. KONK's venture into community radio was a first for Key West, as is the all-talk format.
In May 2010, Overseas Radio began brokering broadcasting time on WKIZ, a 250-watt radio station owned by Seattle Streaming Radio, dramatically increasing its coverage area to the entire Florida Keys
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry...
and even to Havana, Cuba.
Programming
KONK's programming consists of live talk radioTalk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
with callers and guests covering a variety of topics of local and larger interest. Shows, topics, and hosts change every hour from 7am to 6pm weekdays, with local music aired outside of those times. Special productions, including live music performances, are aired on weekends.
The show ArtWaves is broadcast weekdays by community arts advocate and producer Michael Shields. The daily show focuses on the Key West arts community, showcasing artists from every discipline, arts administrators and policy makers, the arts business community and non-profit sectors, alike.
The radio station was called "The Best Talk Radio Station in Florida" by Florida Monthly magazine (September, 2010).
External links
- KONK AM — official website