Photo: Ellensburg Rodeo President Dan Morgan (left) and Vice President Scott Pernaa (right) stand with Henry Johnston, minority partner in KXLE (center) after signing a lease ensuring continued AM coverage for the Kittitas Valley for the next five years
\We have an update on the status and future of KXLE-AM 1240.
The iconic Vantage Highway (aka “Radio Hill”) property has been home to KXLE-AM since 1946. And with AM radio, that location is more than just a tower. The signal depends on a ground system buried across its several acres and without that open space, an AM station doesn’t operate.
At the end of February, we were preparing for the very real possibility of KXLE-AM going silent and we would become a “one signal” operation with just 95.3 KXLE. Our lease at Vantage Highway was ending (the property was not part of the original acquisition by Ellensburg Radio Broadcasting in 2023, just the licenses and equipment), the property was going to be sold, and there was no certainty about who the next owner would be or whether the AM tower would be able to remain in place.
That changed when the Ellensburg Rodeo purchased the property. The Rodeo has long used the area for contestant parking during the Greatest Show on Dirt, and their ownership created a path for us to keep the AM tower site intact.
After working through the details over the past two months, a new lease has been finalized and signed … and we are proud to announce that KXLE-AM 1240 will remain on the air for at least the next five years.
It’s a good feeling when a 103 year old institution like the Rodeo can work together with an 80 year old AM station to preserve a small part of our valley’s history.