KMDL

KMDL (97.3 FM, "97.3 The Dawg") is a commercial radio station in Lafayette, Louisiana. It airs a country music format and is owned by Townsquare Media. Its studios are located on Bertrand Road in Lafayette, and its transmitter is off Guillot Road in Youngsivlle.^[2]

KMDL

Kaplan, Louisiana
Broadcast area	Lafayette metropolitan area
Frequency	97.3 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding	97.3 The Dawg
Programming
Format	Country
Affiliations	Compass Media Networks New Orleans Saints Radio Network
Ownership
Owner	Townsquare Media (Townsquare Media of Lafayette, LLC)
Sister stations	KFTE, KHXT, KPEL, KPEL-FM, KROF, KTDY
History
First air date	August 1, 1981; 43 years ago (1981-08-01)
Call sign meaning	K-Middle (original branding)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	59289
Class	C2
ERP	38,000 watts
HAAT	171 meters (561 ft)
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	973thedawg.com

The station is an affiliate of the New Orleans Saints Radio Network.^[3]

History

KMDL began broadcasting August 1, 1981, at 97.7 MHz.^[4] When it signed on, it had a 3,000 watt signal, a fraction of its current output. It concentrated on Kaplan-area listeners with a signal that was hard to hear in Lafayette. In 1991, in an effort to serve listeners in the more lucrative Lafayette radio market, KMDL upgraded to 40,000 watts and relocated to 97.5 MHz. The move lasted for a short time, however, as interference forced the station to return to 97.7 until it was found that the station could move to 97.3 interference-free.

KMDL has been playing country music since first signing on as "K-Middle," in reference to 97.7 appearing in the middle of the FM dial on an analog radio. After relocating to 97.3, KMDL dropped the "K-Middle" branding and identified only using its frequency and call letters. It later shifted from a traditional country format to a current hit-based country sound in September 1995. It began identifying as "the Dawg," a reference to University of Louisiana at Lafayette's Bulldog mascot. (The university has since switched its sports teams' names to the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns.)

HD radio

An Ibiquity-licensed station, KMDL began broadcasting using HD Radio technology in November 2007. Currently, KMDL does not offer additional subchannel programming.