KBEL (AM)

For the FM radio station in Idabel, Oklahoma, United States, see KBEL-FM.

KBEL (1240 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a news talk format.^[2] Licensed to Idabel, Oklahoma, United States, the station is currently owned by Dave Smulyan, through licensee KBEL Communications, LLC. and features programming from SRN Salem Radio Network, Premiere Networks, Citadel Broadcasting, Genesis Communications, Talk Radio Network, Radio America and several others.

KBEL

Idabel, Oklahoma
Frequency	1240 kHz
Branding	TALK 1240
Programming
Format	News/Talk
Affiliations	SRN News, Premiere, Citadel Broadcasting, Genesis Radio Network, Radio America, Talk Radio Network
Ownership
Owner	Dave Smulyan (KBEL Communications, LLC)
Sister stations	KBEL-FM
History
First air date	January 1, 1952
Call sign meaning	IdaBEL (city of license; shared with FM sister station)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	14759
Class	C
Power	1,000 watts unlimited
Transmitter coordinates	33°52′54″N 94°49′10″W
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS

History

KBEL-AM was launched January 1, 1952 and was the first radio station in McCurtain County, Oklahoma.

On June 22, 1999, the station's license, along with that of its sister station KBEL-FM, was assigned by Harold E. Cochran to Box Broadcasting.^[3]

The licenses of both KBEL and KBEL-FM were assigned by Box Broadcasting to Rod Liechti's Brute Force Radio, LLC. The transaction was consummated on July 30, 2013 for no consideration. Brute Force Radio sold the stations to Dave Smulyan's KBEL Communications, LLC effective October 9, 2018 for $230,000.