KXLE (AM)
news/talk radio station in Ellensburg, Washington, United States
KXLE is a radio station located in Ellensburg, Washington, United States, operating on a frequency of 1240 kHz with a power of 1,000 watts. The AM transmitter tower is located at the station's offices and studios at 1311 Vantage Highway in Ellensburg. As of July 2024, the programming format of the station is classic country, The station is owned by Ellensburg Radio Broadcasting.
History
The station signed on July 19, 1946 as KCOW. It changed its call letters to KXLE on November 27, 1946. At the time, the station was part of the Pacific Northwest Broadcasters, a group of stations owned in whole or in part by Ed Craney that also included KXLY in Spokane, KXL in Portland, Oregon, KXLF in Butte, Montana, KXLJ in Helena, Montana, KXLQ in Bozeman, Montana, KXLK in Great Falls, Montana, and KXLL in Missoula, Montana; other than KXL, and the newly-launched KXLK and KXLL, the other stations also concurrently changed their call letters to incorporate the letters "XL".
The station's previous owner, KXLE, Inc. was owned by Sol M. Tacher of Bellevue, Washington, and his son. In 2023, the Tachers sold KXLE and KXLE-FM to Ellensburg Radio Broadcasting for $250,000; at the time of the sale, KXLE had a news/talk format.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “KXLE (AM)” is news/talk radio station in Ellensburg, Washington, United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through KXLE, news and talk, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “news/talk radio station in Ellensburg, Washington, United States” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6341305. Authority coordinates are 47.002, -120.525. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1240, 1311, 2024 and 1946.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “KXLE (AM)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow KXLE (AM) primary sources, KXLE (AM) archive and KXLE research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “KXLE (AM)”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “KXLE (AM)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.