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KATL
Miles City, Montana;
Broadcast area	Eastern Montana
Frequency	770 kHz
Branding	770 KATL
Programming
Format	Adult contemporary
Affiliations	ABC News Radio, Westwood One
Ownership
Owner	Yellowstone Newspapers Group
History
First air date	September 9, 1941 (as KRJF at 1340)
Former call signs	KRJF (1941–1955)
Former frequencies	1340 kHz (1941–1987)
Technical information
Facility ID	62297
Class	B
Power	10,000 watts (day); 1,000 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates	46°23′46″N 105°46′44″W / 46.39611°N 105.77889°W
Links
Webcast	KATL Webstream
Website	KATL Online

KATL (770 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Miles City, Montana.^[1] The station is owned by the Yellowstone Newspapers Group, and managed by Don Richard.^[2] It airs an Adult Contemporary music format,^[3] as well as local and state news, local sports, and several other programs.

Miles City is known as the "Cow Capitol of the West" and this is reflected in the KATL (pronounced "Cattle") callsign.^[4] The station was assigned the KATL call letters by the Federal Communications Commission.^[5]

History

KATL first aired September 9, 1941 under the call letters KRJF. At the time, they were a 1,000-watt Class D station on the frequency of 1340 AM. After being purchased by Star Printing Company, the call letters were changed to KATL and they began to broadcast at 250-watts at night as well. In 1985, KATL changed its broadcasting to 10,000-watts during the daytime, and 1,000-watts at night. They also changed frequency to 770 AM at this time. KATL continues to broadcast on this frequency and power today, covering several counties in Southeastern Montana.

Many popular local personalities were on the air including Fred Hunnes, Terry Virag, Skip Walters, and more. Local programming included the popular Party Line program, an on-air call-in show which usually featured regular callers discussing the issues of the day.

As of October 1961, Ian Elliott was the manager of the radio station.^[6]

Programs

KATL currently airs Dial Global adult contemporary throughout the day. Wednesday mornings at 10 am there is a local-interest program, KATL Live, during which Don Richard interviews guests regarding upcoming events in Miles City and the surrounding area. These interviews are available on the KATL website for 3 weeks after airing.

Throughout the day, several programs air during commercial breaks, including Kookin' With Karla (a cooking program that includes at least 3 recipes per week in a rotation), a community calendar, and local and state news with Andrew Bern, the station's news director. Bern also serves as the station's sports director, anchoring daily sportscasts as well as serving as the play-by-play broadcaster for Cowboys and Cowgirls athletics. Monday through Friday, the Clark Howard radio program airs from 3 pm to 5 pm.

Throughout the school year, KATL runs a 2-minute Athlete of the Week program every Thursday for high school students from Miles City and the surrounding area. At the end of the school year, one male and one female athlete are chosen from the Athletes of the Week to be the recipients of the Athlete of the Year award during a banquet held in May. These athletes are all given plaques, donated by Bozeman Trophy, and copies of the program that aired on KATL during the week in which they were honored.

KATL also holds an annual radio auction during July and a Pumpkin Chase in October, as well as several contests and giveaways throughout the year.

References

^ Clarke, Norm (1997-11-04). "Talk of the Town". Rocky Mountain News. KATL heads the herd in Miles City, Mont.
^ Lambert, Brian (2003-05-20). "Bucking Horse Sale A Mardi Gras For Cowboys". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Don Richards is president of the Bucking Horse Sale board of directors, and station manager of KATL-AM, the voice of Miles City.
^ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Archived from the original on 2010-03-01.
^ Patterson, Caroline (1999-05-01). "Getting your buck's worth in Montana". Sunset. Drive through Miles City, Montana, built at the confluence of the Tongue and Yellowstone rivers in 1878, and you'll see why it's known as the Cow Capital of the West. Pickups and stock trucks line the streets. The radio station is KATL-AM.
^ "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
^ "Five Trainmen, Truck Driver Die As Train/Truck Collide". Galveston Daily News. 1961-10-26. The exact death toll was not determined until all bodies had been recovered from the wreckage, which Ian Elliott manager of radio station KATL, Miles City, described as "a horrible mess."