09/06/2026
š» FLASHBACK: K-TIP Radio in Porterville
For nearly 80 years, KTIP Radio has been part of the Porterville airwaves. Through different owners, formats, programs, and generations of personalities, the KTIP call letters have remained a familiar part of local radio.
KTIPās story dates back to 1946, with the station beginning broadcasts on 1450 AM in 1947. Porterville businessman Jack Tighe led the stationās early days, and ownership changed several times over the decades.
In KTIPās earlier years, Frank Brown was another prominent figure at the station. Brown managed KTIP and became known for āFrank Brown Reporting,ā covering local events and community happenings around Porterville and Tulare County.
After Tighe, Miller Broadcasting owned the station for a time, followed by Gary Garland and Larry Cotta. In 1978, Garland and Cotta sold KTIP to Monte Moore and Frank Haas.
ā¾ During the Monte Moore era, sports broadcasting became a major part of KTIP. Moore, already well known for his work broadcasting Oakland Aās baseball and national sporting events, put a strong emphasis on covering local athletics.
KTIP carried high school football, basketball and baseball, along with swimming, water polo and other sporting events. Moore believed a small-town radio station should be involved in its community, and he recalled occasions when he could call a local high school game on KTIP one day and then travel to work a nationally televised sporting event the next.
KTIP later entered another longtime chapter under Larry and Marilyn āMimiā Stoneburner, when many listeners remember the station for its News/Talk format.
Mimi also had her own presence on the air. With a background in health education and medical journalism, she created and hosted Body Talk, a Saturday program featuring interviews and discussions about health and wellness.
Larry Stoneburner was also heard on the air at times, including news reports and updates from the agricultural expo in Tulare.
šļø Kent Hopper became one of KTIPās most recognizable personalities with Hopper in the Morning, heard Monday through Friday.
During the 2000s, Joe āJoeyā Flores was another familiar KTIP news voice before eventually leaving the station for a period of time. PK the Redhead later joined Hopper in the mornings and also handled news.
In the afternoons, Sharlene Dempsie handled the local news. After she left the station, Roland Davis took over the afternoon news, and Brian Martinez later followed in that role.
āļø Traderās Market was another longtime part of KTIP that many people around Porterville still remember. The weekday program aired around noon Monday through Friday, giving callers a chance to put items on the air that they wanted to buy, sell or trade.
On Saturday mornings, Traderās Market was also part of the lineup. Brent Gill became one of the familiar voices associated with the Saturday edition, with Trader Susie taking over later.
After Traderās Market came Buyerās Market, where listeners could hear deals on products and services from participating businesses. Long before Facebook Marketplace and selling apps, KTIP had its own version of a community marketplace right over the radio.
š Local sports continued to have a place at KTIP after the Monte Moore years. During the Stoneburner era, local high school football games were broadcast over the air, continuing the stationās connection to area athletics.
Another major change came in 2018, when KTIP changed ownership and the longtime News/Talk era came to an end. The station moved into music programming and eventually became known as Jamān 101.3.
Joe āJoeyā Flores later returned to KTIP under the new ownership, becoming part of the station again during the Jamān 101.3 era and serving as a DJ and programming director. Local high school football broadcasts were also brought back during this period.
Sadly, Joey passed away recently. A GoFundMe has been set up to help his family with final expenses:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-jose-m-flores-final-goodbye
The Jamān branding was later dropped, while K-TIP 101.3 FM South Valleyās Feel Good Favorites continued with a music-based format on 101.3 FM and 1450 AM.
And another chapter may still be ahead. KTIP has been up for sale, although there has not yet been a public announcement of a completed sale or what the stationās future ownership may look like.
š» What era of K-TIP do you remember most?
Did you listen to Hopper in the Morning, call Traderās Market, listen to Buyerās Market or Body Talk, tune in to a local game, or have a favorite personality or program?
Share your K-TIP memories below.
