KWIZ

KWIZ
Santa Ana, California;
Broadcast area	Los Angeles-Orange County
Frequency	96.7 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding	Vision Latina 96.7
Programming
Format	Spanish Christian
Ownership
Owner	Estrella Media ; (Sale to Universal Church pending); (LBI Radio License LLC);
Operator	Universal Church
Sister stations	KBUA, KBUE, KEBN, KRQB, KVNR; Also part of the Vision Latina Cluster: TV Station KJLA
History
First air date	1947 (as KVOE-FM)
Former call signs	KVOE-FM (1947–1954); KWIZ-FM (1954–1998)
Technical information
Facility ID	37225
Class	A
ERP	6,000 watts
HAAT	62 meters (203 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	33°48′07″N 117°47′46″W / 33.802°N 117.796°W
Links
Website	visionlatina.com

KWIZ (96.7 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Santa Ana, California, and broadcasting to the Los Angeles-Orange County area. KWIZ airs a Spanish Christian radio format branded as "Vision Latina 96.7 FM". It is currently owned by Estrella Media, but operated by the Universal Church with studios and offices are on West 5th Street in Santa Ana. The transmitter is off East Glen Albyn Lane in Orange, California.

KWIZ is not licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast in the HD Radio hybrid format, yet the HD Radio Guide indicates that KWIZ broadcasts on one HD channel.^[1]^[2]

History

96.7 FM signed on as KVOE-FM in 1947, simulcast with KVOE (1480 AM, now KVNR).^[3] The two stations were owned by Voice of the Orange Empire, Inc., Ltd. They were Mutual Broadcasting System and Don Lee Network affiliates. The studios were on East 5th Street in Santa Ana. On July 1, 1954, KVOE-AM-FM changed their call signs to KWIZ and KWIZ-FM, but still under the same ownership.^[4]

Ernest and Franc Spencer sold Voice of the Orange Empire in 1965 to the Davis Broadcasting Company. By 1970, KWIZ-FM had separate programming. The AM station aired a full service middle of the road format of popular music, news and information. The FM had an automated easy listening format, which would change to soft adult contemporary music in the mid-1980s.

Liberman acquired KWIZ-AM-FM in 1987. In 1990, KWIZ-FM began carrying Los Angeles Dodgers games in Korean, and on March 10, 1991, it flipped to a full-time Korean format, brokered from Radio Korea.^[5] In 1993, after another brokering deal, KWIZ-FM flipped to Vietnamese as "Little Saigon Radio."^[6]

Other brokered programming deals soon followed. In addition to religious and ethnic talk shows, KWIZ-FM also was home to several niche format music programs, including reggae, alternative rock and surf rock. At night, the station's time was leased to "Renegade Radio," a dance music/techno music format hosted by DJ Racer and former MARS-FM DJ Mike "Fright" Ivankay. Renegade Radio also broadcast MARS-FM music director Swedish Egil's syndicated Groove Radio program, which later became a full-time local electronica format at KACD/KBCD.

In January 1997, Liberman switched the AM and FM services, making the FM a Spanish-language station and the AM aimed at Vietnamese-Americans.^[7] While Liberman has three FM stations in the Los Angeles market playing contemporary Regional Mexican music, KWIZ specializes in classic Mexican hits from past decades.

On New Years Day January 1, 2023 the station dropped its Spanish ranchera oldies format as new owners flipped the station to Spanish Christian programming known as "Vision Latina 96.7". Since then, it was operated by Universal Church under an LMA.^[8] Two months later on March 1, Universal Church made plans to purchase KWIZ outright from Estrella for $8 million.^[9]

References

^ "Station Search Details". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
^ "HD Radio station guide for Los Angeles, California". Archived from the original on 2017-01-28. Retrieved 2015-09-15. HD Radio Guide for Los Angeles
^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1950 page 99
^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1956 page 75
^ Chu, Henry (April 15, 1991). "The New KWIZ-FM Is Eclectic—and Korean". Los Angeles Times. p. F10. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
^ Dizon, Lily; Le, Thuan (March 21, 1994). "Little Saigon Gets a Big Voice". Los Angeles Times. p. A3. Retrieved July 13, 2019. (Continued)
^ Baxter, Kevin (September 10, 1997). "New frontiers". Los Angeles Times. p. 22. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
^ "Vision Latina 96.7 Debuts In Southern California - RadioInsight". 2023-01-07. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
^ "Estrella Media Sells One From Los Angeles Cluster - RadioInsight". 2023-03-01. Retrieved 2023-03-01.

External links

Facility details for Facility ID KWIZ ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
{{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
FCC History Cards for KWIZ

[1] "Station Search Details". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved July 11, 2017.

[2] "HD Radio station guide for Los Angeles, California". Archived from the original on 2017-01-28. Retrieved 2015-09-15. HD Radio Guide for Los Angeles

[3] Broadcasting Yearbook 1950 page 99

[4] Broadcasting Yearbook 1956 page 75

[5] Chu, Henry (April 15, 1991). "The New KWIZ-FM Is Eclectic—and Korean". Los Angeles Times. p. F10. Retrieved July 13, 2019.

[6] Dizon, Lily; Le, Thuan (March 21, 1994). "Little Saigon Gets a Big Voice". Los Angeles Times. p. A3. Retrieved July 13, 2019. (Continued)

[7] Baxter, Kevin (September 10, 1997). "New frontiers". Los Angeles Times. p. 22. Retrieved July 13, 2019.

[8] "Vision Latina 96.7 Debuts In Southern California - RadioInsight". 2023-01-07. Retrieved 2023-01-07.

[9] "Estrella Media Sells One From Los Angeles Cluster - RadioInsight". 2023-03-01. Retrieved 2023-03-01.

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v t e Spanish-language radio stations in the state of California
Stations	KAEH – Beaumont KAFY – Bakersfield KATD – Pittsburg KBAA – Grass Valley KBBF – Santa Rosa KBBU – Modesto KBHH – Kerman KBKY – Merced KBLO – Corcoran KBRG – San Jose KBTW – Lenwood KBUA – San Fernando KBUE – Long Beach KBYN – Arnold KCAL – Redlands KCCL – Woodland KCFA – Arnold KCHJ – Delano KCVR – Columbia KEBN – Garden Grove KEBT – Lost Hills KEPD – Ridgecrest KERU-FM – Blythe KEXA – King City KEYQ – Fresno KEZY – San Bernardino KFSD – Escondido KFSG – Roseville KFSO-FM – Visalia KGED - Fresno KGEN – Tulare KGEN-FM – Hanford KGRB – Jackson KGST – Fresno KGZO – Shafter KHCV – Mecca KHDC – Chualar KHHM – Shingle Springs KHMU – Buttonwillow KHPY – Moreno Valley KHSQ – Trinidad KIDI-FM – Lompoc KIQI – San Francisco KIQQ-FM – Newberry Springs KIQS – Willows KIST-FM – Carpinteria KIWI – Mcfarland KJDJ – San Luis Obispo KJOR – Windsor KLAX-FM – East Los Angeles KLBN – Fresno KLOC – Turlock KLJR-FM – Santa Paula KLLE – North Fork KLLI – Los Angeles KLMG – Esparto KLMM – Morro Bay KLNV – San Diego KLOB – Thousand Palms KLOK-FM – Greenfield KLOQ-FM – Winton KLQV – San Diego KLTX – Long Beach KLUN – Paso Robles KLVE – Los Angeles KLYY – Riverside KMAK – Orange Cove KMBX – Soledad KMEN – Mendota KMIX – Tracy KMJV – Soledad KMLA – El Rio KMLM-FM – Grover Beach KMPG – Hollister KMPO – Modesto KMQA – East Porterville KMRO – Camarillo KMYX-FM – Arvin KMZR – Atwater KNTO – Chowchilla KODV – Barstow KOKO-FM – Kerman KOND – Hanford KOXR – Oxnard KPRC-FM – Salinas KPSL-FM – Bakersfield KPST-FM – Coachella KQLB – Los Banos KRAY-FM – Salinas KRCD – Inglewood KRCV – West Covina KRCX-FM – Marysville KRDA – Clovis KRHM-LP – Bakersfield KRQK – Lompoc KRRS – Santa Rosa KSAC-FM – Dunnigan KSCA – Glendale KSDO – San Diego KSEA – Greenfield KSGZ – Greenfield KSEH – Brawley KSES-FM – Seaside KSFN – Piedmont KSJV – Fresno KSMY – Lompoc KSOL – San Francisco KSPA – Ontario KSPE – Santa Barbara KSQL – Santa Cruz KSRT – Cloverdale KSSC – Ventura KSSD – Fallbrook KSSE – Arcadia KSXY – Forestville KTAP – Santa Maria KTGE – Salinas KTMZ – Pomona KTNQ – Los Angeles KTOR – Gerber KTQX – Bakersfield KTSE-FM – Patterson KUBO – Calexico KUFW – Kingsburg KUNA-FM – La Quinta KVMX-FM – Placerville KVON – Napa KVTR – Victorville KVUH – Laytonville KVVF – Santa Clara KVVZ – San Rafael KWAC – Bakersfield KWIZ – Santa Ana KWKW – Los Angeles KWQQ – Hemet KWRN – Apple Valley KWST – El Centro KXLM – Oxnard KXOL-FM – Los Angeles KXRS – Hemet KXSB – Big Bear Lake KXSE – Davis KXSM – Chualar KXTS – Geyserville KXVV – Victorville KXXZ – Barstow KXZM – Felton KZER – Santa Barbara KZNB – Petaluma KZSF – San Jose KZSZ – Colusa
Defunct	KDBV – Salinas KDDF – Mecca KESQ – Indio KFVR – Crescent City KNCR – Fortuna KSKD – Livingston
See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in California See also Classical Jazz Religious Spanish Smooth Jazz Other

v t e Estrella Media
Radio stations	KBOC KBUA KBUE KEBN KEYH KJOJ-FM KNOR KNTE KQQK KRQB KTJM KVNR KWIZ* KZZA
Television stations	KETD KRCA KSDX-LD KVPA-LD KZJL WASA-LD WESV-LD WGEN-TV WVFW-LD
Television networks	Estrella TV
Other assets	Liberman Broadcasting tower (Era, Texas)
* Sale to Universal Church pending
Website: estrellamedia.com