KIRO 97.3 FM

Seattle Radio Group

News Talk KIRO, 97.3 FM, has been a pillar of the Pacific Northwest for more than seven decades, and we have stayed current, moving with the times and seasons. Other stations have come and gone, but News Talk KIRO has remained at the same place on the radio dial, bringing the community the best news radio.

Local news, talk, information and sports are the cornerstones of our programming. In addition, news reports and local traffic coverage are provided around the clock, seven days a week. At News Talk KIRO, we have a long heritage of community involvement in Seattle, ranging from food drives, radiothons, and walk-a-thons to sponsoring large, socially-significant events.

News Talk KIRO also is the home of the region's most successful sports franchise, the NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks. In 1927, radio station KPBC (which would become KIRO) was founded by Moritz Thomsen, owner of the Pacific Biscuit Company. It operated at 100 watts. In 1933 Saul Haas, a newspaperman, active Democrat and director of U.S. Customs, purchased shares in KPBC. In 1935, Haas and business partners purchased the remaining KPBC stock from the Thomsen family, changed the call letters to KIRO and transformed the station into a profitable enterprise.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authorized KIRO Radio to operate as a full-time station and in 1936 increased our power to 1,000 watts. Haas wanted to make KIRO the most powerful and influential voice in the Pacific Northwest, and in 1937 his goal was achieved when we became the official Seattle outlet for the Columbia Broadcast System (CBS). Through his strong political affiliations Haas acquired a special FCC license enabling KIRO to operate at 50,000 watts. In June 1941, with war looming, the FCC halted any further frequency development, making our station the most powerful radio signal (and voice) north of San Francisco and west of the Mississippi River.

During World War II, Edward R. Murrow, a prominent radio broadcaster, began reporting live from Europe. In the process, radio assumed a new role in its listeners' lives as they relied on KIRO to keep them accurately informed. We also recorded all CBS nightly 15-minute newscasts, which now constitute the most comprehensive library of World War II newscasts in the world. News Talk KIRO has received the highest national honor for radio -- The Edward R. Murrow Award of Excellence for outstanding broadcasting achievement -- four times, in 1982, 1989, 1996 and 2001. In 2005, we won more Edward R. Murrow awards than any other station in the United States.

Our mission -- stated in 1928 as providing the community with quality, entertaining and informative radio -- is still valid today. We remain a Seattle mainstay due to our talented, dedicated staff: News Talk KIRO's talk show hosts provide compelling points of view, interesting programs that involve their listeners, and sports, which remain a programming priority.

 News Talk 97.3 FM KIRO audio profile