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KFSH-FM
La Mirada, California;
Broadcast area	Orange County, California
Frequency	95.9 MHz
Branding	95.9 The Fish
Programming
Format	Contemporary Christian
Affiliations	Salem Radio Network
Ownership
Owner	Salem Media Group (Sale to Educational Media Foundation pending); (New Inspiration Broadcasting Company);
Sister stations	KKLA-FM, KRLA, KTIE
History
First air date	April 17, 1961 (as KEZY-FM)
Former call signs	KEZY-FM (1960–1999); KXMX (1999–2000);
Call sign meaning	"Fish"
Technical information
Facility ID	2195
Class	A
ERP	6,000 watts
HAAT	100 meters (330 ft)
Links
Webcast	Listen Live; Listen live (via iHeartRadio)
Website	thefishoc.com

KFSH-FM (95.9 MHz, "95.9 The Fish") is a commercial radio station that is licensed to La Mirada, California, and serves Orange County and southern Los Angeles County. The station is owned by Salem Media Group and has broadcast a contemporary Christian music (CCM) format since 2000. The station has studios in Glendale, with the transmitter based in the city of Orange. The branding refers to the ichthys, the ancient fish icon used by the Christian church since its birth during the time of the Roman Empire; the ichthys itself is part of the station logo.

History

Early years

The station at 95.9 FM in Orange County, California has its origins in KEZY, which first signed on in 1959 at 1190 AM from its studios at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim with a 1,000-watt signal.^[1] The first voice heard on KEZY was that of canine TV star Lassie. Lassie's owner, Rudd Weatherwax, was an investor in the station and the hotel. It was first known as "K-Easy" as it broadcast an easy listening music format.^[2] In the late 1960s, KEZY moved its studios and offices off the Disneyland campus to a larger complex located (coincidentally) at 1190 East Ball Road in Anaheim. Accompanying the relocation was a switch to a top 40 pop/rock format.^[2]

KEZY-FM ("96 FM KEZY") signed on April 17, 1961 with an 870-watt signal and simulcast its AM sister station.^[3] Originally, its city of license was Anaheim and its transmitter was located in Villa Park. Since its inception, the station has hosted a number of formats, including a successful top 40 format throughout the 1980s. In 1989, Anaheim Broadcasting Corporation sold KEZY-FM and its AM counterpart, then known as KORG, to M.L. Media Partners L.P.;^[4] the new owners soon switched the format to adult contemporary. From 1993 to 1996, it was the flagship station for National Hockey League expansion team the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. In the mid-1990s, KEZY advertised with the slogan "Hits of the '80s and '90s with no rap or hard rock, 95.9 The All New KEZY"; this was intended to attract listeners uninterested in hip hop music during its rise in popularity. Air staff during this time included John Fox (previously at KFMB-FM in San Diego), Liz Pennington, April Whitney, Carolyn Hogenrad, and music director Scott Free.

Starting in 1998, KEZY-FM went through a series of ownership changes. First, Jacor Communications bought the station and its AM counterpart KORG in September for $30.1 million.^[5] Then in October, Clear Channel Communications, then the largest U.S. radio broadcasting group, purchased Jacor in a $4.4 billion deal.^[6] During this time, the station changed its call letters to KXMX, completed the construction permit for a power increase, and branded the station with its corporate "Mix" format. New on-air personalities included Angel and Randy "Ranman" DeWitt (formerly of KHTS-FM in San Diego). The Mix briefly maintained a remote studio at The Block at Orange shopping center. This format lasted only a year; it was also the last format as a secular station.

KFSH — "95.9 The Fish" (2000–present)

In 2000, as part of conditions set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to approve its merger with AMFM Inc., Clear Channel sold KXMX and seven other stations to Salem Communications Corporation, a commercial radio company specializing in Christian programming.^[7] Salem changed the call letters to KFSH and flipped the station to contemporary Christian music (CCM) with the branding "The Fish" on August 25, 2000 at 6 a.m.^[8] This format has since been replicated at other Salem radio stations nationwide. KFSH relocated to the Salem Los Angeles studios in Glendale, about ten miles north of Downtown Los Angeles, sharing facilities with then-sister stations KXMX, KKLA-FM, KRLA, and KTIE. The Ball Road studios of the former KEZY in Anaheim, often referred to as "the dumpy little building on Ball Road" by morning DJ John Fox, were demolished in 2008; the land was absorbed into the neighboring Ganahl Lumber Yard. KFSH's city of license, however, remained Anaheim until November 2008, when it was changed to La Mirada, approximately five to six miles northwest, near the Los Angeles—Orange county line.

On January 16, 2012, KFSH-FM began airing the nationally syndicated program Delilah each weeknight.^[9] This marked the return of the request-and-dedication show to the Los Angeles area since it was last broadcast on KBIG. It also launched the CCM version of Delilah; the mainstream version of the program is delivered to affiliate stations in a secular adult contemporary music format. KFSH-FM dropped the show on April 16, 2020 and replaced it with Keep the Faith with Penny, originating from sister station WFSH-FM in Atlanta.^[10]

In early 2018, KFSH-FM began RDS broadcasting, providing song artists and titles on capable devices.

Sale to EMF

On December 30, 2024, Salem Media Group announced the sale of KFSH and six other Christian AC stations to Educational Media Foundation (which locally owns KKLQ and KYLA) for $80 million in order to pay off the company’s debt.^[11] A few weeks later, it was announced that the station will begin airing the nationwide Air1 Christian worship network, with operation under EMF beginning February 1, 2025 with the call letters KAIA.^[12]

Transmission issues

KFSH-FM is classified as being in the Los Angeles radio market and previously was marketed as such ("The Fish LA"). However, the station's 6,000-watt signal can be heard clearly only in Orange County, its primary service area for most of its history, and south of Downtown Los Angeles. Generally, the stereo signal is unable to be received in northern Los Angeles County, including the San Fernando Valley.^[13] This is due to interference from KCAQ, a Class B1 station in Camarillo that operates on the same frequency and to which KFSH-FM is short spaced. The cities that both stations are licensed to serve are 63 miles (101 km) apart,^[14] but under FCC rules, the minimum distance between Class A and Class B1 stations operating on the same channel is 89 miles (143 km).^[15] The station changed its domain to thefishoc.com to better reflect its primary broadcast area.

FishFest

Since 2002, KFSH-FM has hosted FishFest, an annual contemporary Christian music festival held in early summer. Through 2016, the concert was held at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre in Irvine, California. With the closure of the venue in October 2016,^[16] the 2017 edition of FishFest was relocated to Honda Center.^{[citation needed]}

Date	Venue	City	Lineup
March 26, 2006	Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre	Irvine, California	Newsboys, Jeremy Camp, Chris Tomlin, John Tesh, Delirious?, Natalie Grant, Jana Alayra, Piller, Hawk Nelson, Project 86^[17]
July 28, 2007	Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre	Irvine, California	Third Day, MercyMe, Chris Tomlin, Kutless, Jessie Daniels, Aaron Shust^[18]
June 25, 2011	Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre	Irvine, California	MercyMe, Third Day, David Crowd Band, Tenth Avenue North, The O.C. Supertones, John Mark McMillian, Jake Hamilton, Jamie Grace, Jana Alayra^[19]
June 23, 2012	Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre	Irvine, California	TobyMac, Sanctus Real, Mikeschair, Chris August, Lincoln Brewster, Phil Wickham, Five Iron Frenzy, Trip Lee, Pawnshop Kings, Press Play, Travis Ryan, Moriah Peters^[20]

References

^ "Directory of Radio Stations in the United States and Canada". Broadcasting Yearbook. Broadcasting Publications Inc. 1976. p. C-15.
^ ^a ^b Oda, Alan; Hilliker, Jim. "KEZY AM: THE MIGHTY 1190". SoCalRadioHistory.com. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
^ "Directory of AM and FM Radio Stations in the U.S.". 1961-62 Broadcasting Yearbook. Broadcasting Publications Inc. 1961. p. B-14.
^ "ML Media Wins $15.1 Million Orange County Combo". Radio Business. July 14, 1989. p. 8.
^ "Jacor Adds Two To Golden State Stable". Radio & Records. September 18, 1998. p. 6.
^ "More Wheeling & Dealing". Radio & Records. January 15, 1999. p. 68.
^ "Spun cities". Broadcasting & Cable. April 17, 2000. p. 53.
^ "Salem Catches 'The Fish' In Los Angeles". Radio & Records. September 1, 2000. p. 3.
^ "The Fish/Los Angeles Adds 'Delilah' To Nights". All Access. All Access Music Group. January 17, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
^ Venta, Lance (April 16, 2020). "95.9 The Fish Adds Keep The Faith with Penny For Nights". RadioInsight. RadioBB Networks. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
^ "Salem Media Group Sells Seven Stations To EMF; Repays All Debt With New Investor". RadioInsight. December 30, 2024. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
^ "K-Love Sets Plans For Salem Acquisitions". RadioInsight. January 17, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
^ "KFSH-FM Radio Station Coverage Map". Radio-Locator.com. Theodric Technologies LLC. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
^ "How Far is it Between Camarillo, CA, United States and La Mirada, CA, United States". Free Map Tools. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
^ "Minimum distance separation between stations. 47 CFR § 73.207 (1)" (PDF). GovInfo. United States Government Publishing Office. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
^ Fadroski, Kelli Skye (November 1, 2016). "Gwen Stefani closes Irvine Meadows, Orange County's first big venue". Orange County Register. Southern California News Group. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
^ "KFSH Announces Fifth Annual FISHFEST". All Access. All Access Music Group. January 9, 2006. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
^ "The Fish/Los Angeles Hosts Fishfest". All Access. All Access Music Group. June 7, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
^ "The Fish/L.A. Announces Lineup For 2011 FishFest". All Access. All Access Music Group. April 11, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
^ "The Fish/Los Angeles Announces Fish Fest Lineup". All Access. All Access Music Group. April 16, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2018.