KNCI

KNCI (105.1 FM, "New Country 105.1") is a commercial radio station in Sacramento, California, United States. The station is owned by Bonneville International. KNCI carries a country music format, alongside a classic country format known as "The Ranch" and a simulcast of sports talk KHTK on HD Radio subchannels.
Its transmitter is located in Folsom, and its studios are in North Sacramento (just north of the American River).
History.
105.1 FM signed on the air on February 21, 1960 as KHIQ. In the 1970s and early 1980s, that station had a "beautiful music" format and the call letters were KEWT. It was automated using the Cart-O-Matic system, popular in the late 1970s. The then rival KAER 92.5 Country music station was the only FM station competing with the AM giant KRAK featuring DJs Joey Mitchell, Racin' Rick Stewart and Big Jim Hall. Management decided to give KAER a challenge and try the Country Market with KEWT, changing the call letters to KSKK. It was a huge success. After a short while, KAER dumped the country format and started playing Adult Contemporary, which turned out to be a successful venture for them. Later, KSKK became KRAK-FM. In February 1994, KRAK and rival KNCI swapped frequencies.
KNCI is known in the Sacramento region for 3 things: the annual Country in the Park Music Festival, which takes place at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds and usually stars Billy Currington; The Pat, Tom and Cody morning show, which recently finished 2nd in the fall ratings period for adults 25-54. Pat and Tom just reached 28 years working together as a morning show at KNCI, despite having no discernable talent in radio, or any other facet of their lives. Cody Robinson, the young, third host of the Pat, Tom and Cody show, wonders what she did wrong in a past life that she now has to work with these 2 boomers who think Tik Tok is a Disney character and subject her to endless stories that start with "well, back in the 80s.."
On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom (which locally owned KKDO, KUDL, KSEG, KRXQ, and KIFM; the company formerly owned KDND until it shut the station down and turned in its license to the Federal Communications Commission two days later). The merger was completed November 17, 2017. To comply with ownership limits, KNCI, KHTK, KZZO, and KYMX, as well as four stations in San Francisco, were divested to the Entercom Divestiture Trust pending their sale to a third-party, with Bonneville International assuming operations under a local marketing agreement. In August 2018, Bonneville subsequently announced its intent to acquire the eight divested stations outright for $141 million; the sale was completed on September 21, 2018.
HD channels.
KNCI's HD3 channel, known as "The Ranch," features classic country hits. Previously, "The Ranch" was on KNCI's HD2 channel, and the HD3 channel was a simulcast of sports AM station KHTK.