D/FW Radio: KESN-FM Drops Sports For Christian

For some North Texas radio listeners, sports really did turn into religion on Wednesday.

According to The Dallas Morning News, that’s when KVDT – “Your Christian Voice for Dallas” - went on the air in the space that had belonged to ESPN’s radio spot at 103.3 FM. KESN went on the air in April 2001 as an all-sports format that intended to challenge Sportsradio 96.7 FM/1310 AM The Ticket [KTCK-AM] for sports talk dominance.

But the emergence of a third sports talk station, KRLD 105.3 The Fan in 2008 made the field more competitive. KESN and its parent company, Disney, turned over management to Cumulus Radio, The Ticket’s parent company, in 2013. Cumulus operated the station through 2020. At the time, the agreement between Cumulus and Disney ended, so did all local programming, with the exception of Dallas Mavericks broadcasts. The Mavericks exercised an out in their contract with the station to leave for the 2021-22 season.

Disney announced plans to sell the station to Christian radio group VCY America for $9.3 million last December. VCY, which operates 32 radio stations across the country out of its Milwaukee, Wisc. headquarters seeks to “advance the gospel through every legitimate means,” according to the mission statement on its website. Several of the station’s shows include North Texas-based faith leaders, including Dr. Tony Evans of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. The sale of the station closed on Feb. 23.

103.3 FM Coverage Area (98Kw)

In its release on the new station, VCY said 103.3 FM “is now your home for Biblical teaching, Sacred Music, informative news, as well as radio drama for the young and young at heart.” KVDT is the network’s second Texas-based station, joining KVCE in Lubbock. It expects to add a station in Midland/Odessa soon.