KHKA

KHKA
Broadcast area
Honolulu metropolitan area
Frequency1500 kHz
BrandingESPN Honolulu
Programming
FormatSports
NetworkESPN Radio
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerBlow Up, LLC
KKEA
History
First air date
March 1, 1963 (1963-03-01)
Former call signs
KUMU (1963–2010)
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
31600
ClassB
Power5,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates
21°19′54.7″N 157°53′27″W / 21.331861°N 157.89083°W / 21.331861; -157.89083
Translator102.3 K272GC (Honolulu)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitewww.espnhonolulu.com

KHKA (1500 AM) is a commercial radio station in the United States. Licensed to Honolulu, Hawaii, the station broadcasts a sports format branded ESPN Honolulu. The station is owned by Blow Up, LLC. It also carries some news programs from KHON-TV and CBS News Radio. KHKA is an official radio partner of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football, and carries local high school sports, as well as San Francisco 49ers football games and San Francisco Giants baseball games.

KHKA is powered at 5,000 watts, using a non-directional antenna. Its transmitter is off Nimitz Highway in Honolulu, near Kakauiki Village. KHKA is also heard on 99-watt FM translator K272GC at 102.3 MHz. It retransmits on Oceanic Spectrum digital channel 885 for the entire state of Hawaii.

History

As KUMU (1963–2010)

The station signed on the air on March 1, 1963. The original call sign was KUMU. In 1967, it added an FM sister station. KUMU-FM 94.7 MHz. KUMU AM aired a beautiful music format throughout the 1960s to 1990s.

In the early 2000s, KUMU had an adult standards format. A few years later, it flipped to sports talk as a network affiliate of Sporting News Radio. In 2010, KUMU once again became a simulcast of KUMU-FM, airing its Rhythmic Adult Contemporary format.

On August 2, 2010, Ohana Broadcast Company, LLC, sold KUMU 1500 to Blow Up, LLC, for $250,000.

As KHKA (2010–present)

On September 30, 2010, the call sign was changed to KHKA and it returned to a sports talk format. In April 2013, KHKA rebranded as NBC Sports Radio 1500 AM.

KHKA logo from 2019 to 2026.

On January 1, 2019, KHKA became an affiliate of CBS Sports Radio as a result of NBC Sports Radio discontinuing its full-time network programming. By May 2020, KHKA rebranded as "CBS 1500" as it added programming from CBS News Radio and Hawaii News Now to the lineup while retaining CBS Sports Radio programs.

On March 2, 2026, KHKA swapped formats with 1420 KKEA. KHKA's news and talk shows moved to KKEA, while KHKA rebranded as "ESPN Honolulu" with the former sports format and ESPN Radio affiliation of KKEA.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for KHKA". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ "KUMU Officially Begins Programming On Saturday Night". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. February 28, 1963. p. 40. Retrieved December 24, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1975 (PDF). Washington: Broadcasting Publications. 1975. p. C-51. Retrieved October 22, 2026 – via World Radio History.
  4. ↑ "Radio log". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. June 14, 1999. Archived from the original on September 19, 2000. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Honolulu AM Sold". allaccess.com. August 3, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  6. ↑ ESPN Honolulu [@ESPNHonolulu] (March 2, 2026). "Station updates 3/2" (Tweet). Retrieved October 5, 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).