City | Allen, Texas |
---|---|
Broadcast area |
Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex/ Ardmore/Durant/Sherman/ Gainesville |
Branding | "ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM" |
Slogan | "First For Sports in Dallas/Fort Worth" |
Frequency | 103.3 MHz |
First air date | Early 1990s as KEMM |
Format | Sports |
Language(s) | English |
Audience share | 1.5 (March 2017, Nielsen Audio[1]) |
ERP | 98,000 watts |
HAAT | 606 meters |
Class | C |
Facility ID | 58265 |
Transmitter coordinates | 33°32′08″N 96°49′54″W / 33.53556°N 96.83167°WCoordinates: 33°32′08″N 96°49′54″W / 33.53556°N 96.83167°W |
Callsign meaning | ESPN |
Former callsigns | KEMM (early 1990s-2001) |
Affiliations |
ESPN Radio Dallas Mavericks (NBA) |
Operator | Cumulus Media |
Owner |
The Walt Disney Company (KESN Assets, LLC) |
Sister stations | KLIF, KLIF-FM, KPLX, KTCK, KTCK-FM, KSCS, WBAP |
Webcast | Listen Live (via Triton Digital) |
Website | ESPN Dallas |
KESN (103.3 FM) is a Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, based sports talk radio station. It is owned by The Walt Disney Company as an ESPN Radio owned affiliate. Beginning on October 8, 2013, Cumulus Media took over operation of the station, although Disney was still the owner. The station's studios are located in the Victory Park district in Dallas, just north of downtown, and the transmitter site is located southeast of Collinsville in Grayson County.
From 1983-2000, 103.3 FM for Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) was licensed to Commerce, Texas, and held the call letters KEMM. The station operated a country music format. KEMM went silent on September 28, 2000. The city of license and tower were moved to Allen, Texas, in 2001, and the station was re-launched on April 27, 2001, as KESN with the new all sports format. Fourteen outlying stations were rearranged and relocated to make way for this frequency to move into DFW, all at ABC/Disney's expense. Among its most notable local programs was Galloway and Company, hosted by Randy Galloway until his retirement in October 2013.
Previously, despite different owners and a merger of ABC Radio Networks to Citadel Broadcasting; KESN, WBAP-AM, and WFAA-TV maintained a strong partnership (as WFAA is the local ABC television affiliate). In early 2006, 103.3 ESPN welcomed WFAA-TV personality Dale Hansen, former Dallas Cowboys radio analyst and host on rival station KTCK, to the station. KTCK had become the Cowboys' flagship station, and many speculated that Hansen leaving KTCK for KESN was due to his criticism of the team. The official explanation, however, was that Hansen's ratings did not justify his salary request.