Originally broadcasting as KGYW, Vallejo’s first radio station changed hands several times before being purchased by Mary Ashbacker-Gunberg of Michigan. She was the daughter of pioneer radio broadcaster Karl Ashbacker. On September 1, 1958, the call letters KNBA were used for the first time.
In 1960, ownership of the station passed into the hands of Lou Ripa of Modesto. Ripa was a hands-on owner-operator of “The Mighty 1190” until his death at age 81 in early 1992. Click the “play” arrow below to hear Ripa hosting a live remote broadcast from the Payless Sleep Shop in Vallejo in the spring of 1976.
After Ripa’s death, KNBA was sold in a probate sale for $50,000 to North Bay Broadcasters, the operators of Vacaville’s KUIC. FCC approval of the ownership transfer was granted on October 12, 1993. In January 1994, the venerable KNBA call letters were changed to KXBT, as the station shifted to a “soul oldies” format, billing itself as “The Beat of the Bay”under the guidance of general manager Stefan Ponek.
In 1996, KXBT became the first AM station west of the Mississippi River to sign on in the newly-authorized expanded AM band, adding a signal at 1640 kHz.
In 1998, KXBT’s 1190 AM signal changed to the call letters KDYA under the ownership of Richmond-based Baybridge Communications. The expanded-band signal at 1640 kHz was assigned the call letters KDIA, which became available in 1997 when the legendary Oakland version of KDIA became KMKY. KDYA was airing urban gospel music and branding itself as “The Light 1190”.
In 2021, the Christian broadcaster Salem Communications cut a $600,000 deal to buy KDYA and KDIA.
