KRVA (AM)


KRVA, branded as "Radio Saigon Dallas 1600", is a Vietnamese language radio station, broadcasting in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. This station is licensed in Cockrell Hill, Texas and is licensed to Lrad Media, LLC.

History

This station started their broadcasting activities in 1947 as KMAE on an Entertainment format operating during the daytime hours only in McKinney, Texas. Then in 1965, the station changed to KYAL, playing Country music. Over a decade later, the station has moved to Plano, Texas, as the branding and formats changed once again to KXVI under various religious formats. Recently, the KXVI calls were re-used at 100.5 FM in Pittsburg for "The Bridge Network," a DFW-based religious broadcaster serving East Texas. In 1985, the station changed to an all-news station as KTNS. It went off the air after January 7, 1987.
About 7 months later, the station was revived by Spanish Radio Pioneer Marcos Rodriguez, Sr., father of Marcos A. Rodriguez as KSSA on a Spanish format, relocated to Cockrell Hill and a sister station to Kansas City-based KSSA-FM. In 1993, Z-Spanish Media and Entravision bought KSSA and changed the callsign to KRVA while maintaining its Spanish format. In the 1990s, it has simulcasted News 8 at 6:00PM from WFAA-TV in Spanish.
There was also a period, including summer and autumn of 2005, during which 1600 am broadcast an Asian format, with music, talk, games and advertising relating to the Asian community in the D/FW area.
On November 2006, Entravision sold KRVA to Mortenson Broadcasting after selling the other stations to Liberman Broadcasting.
It was announced on October 21, 2011 that Mortenson Broadcasting will be selling three of its sister stations and to Salem Communications. Mortenson will also spin off this station to Pacificstar Media II Corporation for $1.4 Million in cash. Sometime in October 2012, KRVA switched to its current Vietnamese format, abandoning the previous Spanish religious programming.
Pacificstar Media sold the station to Lrad Media, LLC for $1.9 million; the transaction was consummated on March 17, 2014.