The station began broadcasting in 1965 in Oklahoma City and was known by the call letters KOFM. It signed on the air as a beautiful music station and the home for the Indian NationsNews Network. During the early 1970s, KOFM Fresh Air adopted a unique format programmed by John Hendrix and the later VP of Programming for the FOXTalk Radio Network- Mike Elder. The format provided a unique progressive rock sound that included rock album cuts, special interrelated song sets, and was called "Fresh Air Radio" years before NPR's usage of the same name. KOFM's Fresh Air format was similar to KBCO FM in Boulder, Colorado. Later, with new American Media Ownership, KOFM tried to duplicate AM Top 40 with an FM top 40 hit station programmed by Mike Miller, John Jenkins and Charlie Cooper and used the positioning statement "Rockin' With The Hits". On June 2, 1986, KOFM became KMGL and changed formats to Transtar's Format 41. Over time KMGL became a fully live adult contemporary formatted station under the direction of PD and morning personality Steve O'Brien. KMGL has been one of Oklahoma City's top rated stations since the mid 1980s. Today, the KOFM call letters are now used by a station in Enid, Oklahoma.
Ownership changes
On July 15, 2012, Ty and Tony Tyler's Tyler Media entered into an agreement with Renda Broadcasting to purchase that company's Oklahoma City radio cluster for $40 million. In accordance to limits imposed by the Federal Communications Commission on the number of radio stations a single broadcasting entity can own in a single market, Tyler sold KTLR and KKNG to WPA Radio for $1.6 million. Tyler's purchase of KMGL and its sister stations was consummated on November 13, 2012.
The Magic Of Christmas
Magic 104.1 used to sprinkle Christmas music in regular rotation and then on 12pm on Christmas Eve they would flip to all Christmas music branding it the "Magic Of Christmas" playing 36 hours of non stop Christmas music. In 2004 KYIS flipped to all-Christmas Music and KMGL would only play all-Christmas music on weekends and go back to regular music during the week. In 2006 KMGL would flip to all-Christmas music the following Monday after KQOB started Christmas music on the Friday before, since then KMGL has flipped to all-Christmas usually the week before Thanksgiving or the Friday after. KMGL usually has a good ratings following during this time. Oklahoma City's first radio station to do all-Christmas music was 97.7 KWHP during the 1960s followed by 94.7 KQSR starting on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. KMGL is Oklahoma City's Official Christmas Music station as of November 20, 2009.
HD radio
KMGL along with its sister FM stations in Oklahoma City including KOMA and KRXO-FM broadcast on HD Radio for a short time from 2006 through 2008. In 2005, Tony Renda Jr., the general manager of Renda Broadcasting said his company has signed a deal with iBiquity to convert all of the company's 24 stations in Pennsylvania, Florida, and Oklahoma to HD radio sometime in 2006. In early 2008, Renda switched off their HD signals on all three of their stations in Oklahoma City including KOMA-FM 92.5, KMGL-FM 104.1, and KRXO-FM 107.7 — because of a few coverage holes — areas that received a poor signal — at least until the spring 2008 ratings period ends. "It's a temporary problem," Don Pollnow, Renda market manager said. "Our engineer is working on it with the manufacturer." Renda also has turned off KRXO's HD signal during its University of Oklahoma football broadcasts. HD requires a delay, generally of at least eight seconds, to allow the signal to be encoded and matched up with the regular analog signal. OU fans with radios at the stadium had complained that the station's play-by-play was behind the actual game action. It seems like Renda Broadcasting never switch any of their stations' HD signals back on ever since. Tyler switch KRXO's HD signal back on a couple of months before they flipped it to Sports in Fall 2013 in order to move KRXO's Classic Rock format to its HD-2 subchannel and add its HD-3 subchannel to Spanish Oldies Exitos 96.5. In Winter 2014 KOMA's HD signal back on then add HD-2 subchannel to Alternative Rock 92.9 The Edge and its HD-3 subchannel to Hip-Hop V103.1. KMGL's HD signals still remain switched off.
