“Ever heard a radio station broadcasting only during the day?”
Let me introduce you to KYND-AM a unique voice serving the Houston metropolitan area. KYND-AM is a daytime-only radio station. It broadcasts from Cypress Texas.
KYND-AM’s story is quite interesting. Its construction permit was first granted in November 1987. The station went on air on March 1 1990.
Originally, KYND-AM operated with 500 watts. Its signal came from a four-tower array. These towers stood west of Telge Road. All four towers were 38.4 meters high.
In 1993 KYND-AM upgraded to 3 kilowatts. It also had a critical hours power of 2.6 kilowatts. A significant upgrade came in 2012. The station increased to its current 25-kilowatt daytime operation. KYND-AM’s critical hours power is now licensed at 18 kilowatts.
KYND-AM tried to get authorization for nighttime broadcasting. A construction permit was granted. It would have allowed night operations at only 2 watts. The broadcast location was planned near U.S. 59 in southwest Houston. The plan was abandoned. The minuscule power wouldn’t cover Cypress. It also wouldn’t cover much of the Houston metropolitan area.
Over the years KYND-AM has broadcast in several languages. These include Vietnamese Desi English and Spanish.
For a short time KYND-AM featured a classic hits music format. This happened after China Radio International ended its lease agreement in December 2015. At other times KYND-AM broadcast different content. This happened when it couldn’t find a paying client for its airtime.
In May 2016 Synergy Broadcasting leased KYND-AM. They brought back the Urban Oldies and Talk programming. This programming had previously aired on KCOH radio.
An interesting event occurred in December 2016. Class D translator K260CH Dilley received a license to cover. It rebroadcasted KYND-AM’s programming. KYND-AM’s ownership wasn’t aware of this. The translator’s owner tried to move the station to Cypress. The FCC denied permission.
On September 11 2017 KYND-AM lost its regular leased programming with Synergy Broadcasting. Synergy moved to KLVL in Pasadena. KYND-AM then broadcast a continuous loop promotional. The station’s former General Manager voiced it. This message advertised the station’s leasing availability. This loop played for over two years.
KYND-AM shares its frequency with KOKC-AM in Oklahoma City. KOKC-AM is a clear-channel station. This limits KYND-AM to daytime hours only.
El Sembrador Ministries purchased KYND-AM on March 31 2021. They replaced the looped message. The station joined the buyer’s ESNE Radio Network. Today KYND-AM continues to serve the Houston area. It broadcasts a Spanish Christian format.
So next time you’re driving around Houston during the day tune into KYND-AM at 1520 AM. You’ll be listening to a station with a rich history. It reflects the diverse voices of the community.