You're driving down the I-15, the sun is beating against the windshield, and you realize you're about to miss tip-off. For most sports fans in the Valley, the instinct isn't to fumble with a laggy streaming app. It’s to punch the preset for AM 1100 Las Vegas.
Known by its call sign KWWN, this station has basically become the heartbeat of Southern Nevada sports culture. It isn’t just about the national ESPN feed, though that’s a big part of it. It’s the local connection—the stuff you can’t get from a generic podcast recorded in Bristol. Honestly, in a city that’s transformed from a "gambling town" to a global sports capital, 1100 AM has had to evolve fast just to keep up.
The Technical Weirdness of AM 1100 Las Vegas
Radio is kinda strange when you look under the hood. KWWN isn't just a simple antenna sticking out of the desert. During the day, it blasts at 22,000 watts. You can hear it crystal clear from the Strip all the way out to the edges of Henderson and Summerlin. But then the sun goes down, and things get complicated.
Because of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules regarding "clear channel" frequencies, KWWN has to drop its power to 2,000 watts at night. Why? To protect other stations on the 1100 frequency, like the massive WTAM in Cleveland. If you've ever noticed the signal get a bit fuzzy after dark or heard a faint voice from Ohio bleeding through, that’s exactly why.
To manage this, the station uses a four-tower directional array located near North Martin Luther King Boulevard. It’s a technical balancing act that ensures Las Vegas gets its Raiders and Rebels coverage without knocking out listeners in the Midwest.
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Who’s Behind the Mic?
The programming lineup on AM 1100 Las Vegas is a mix of heavy hitters. You’ve got the national ESPN Radio staples like Freddie and Harry or Amber and Ian filling the midday slots, but the local flavor is where the station really shines.
Cofield & Company is the big one here. Steve Cofield has been a staple of the Las Vegas airwaves for years. His show (typically 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays) is where the real talk happens. It’s less about polished corporate takes and more about the grit of what’s happening with the Golden Knights or the latest drama at UNLV.
The Home of the Champions
Vegas isn't just a Raiders town anymore. KWWN has staked its claim as the flagship or primary affiliate for several major teams:
- UNLV Rebels: Whether it’s football at Allegiant Stadium or basketball at the Thomas & Mack, 1100 AM is the place for play-by-play.
- Las Vegas Aces: As the Aces cemented themselves as a WNBA powerhouse, KWWN was there to broadcast the back-to-back championship runs.
- Los Angeles Lakers: Interestingly, the station serves as a Los Angeles Lakers Radio Network affiliate. Since Vegas has a massive Lakers fan base dating back decades, this is a huge draw for the evening slots.
- Local High School Sports: Occasionally, you'll catch "Game of the Week" coverage that highlights the next generation of athletes coming out of Clark County.
Ownership and the "Lotus" Legacy
The station is owned by Lotus Communications (Lotus Broadcasting). This is important because Lotus is one of the largest privately owned radio groups in the country. They aren't some faceless equity firm; they’ve owned stations in Vegas for a long time.
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They operate out of studios on West Flamingo Road. If you look at their "sister" stations, you’ll see they have the market cornered. They own KKGK (1340 AM) which carries Fox Sports, and KRLV (920 AM), better known as Raider Nation Radio. This means if there’s a scheduling conflict—like a Rebels game and a Lakers game happening at the same time—they can just shuffle the broadcast to another dial.
Is AM Radio Dying? Not in Vegas.
People have been predicting the death of AM radio for twenty years. "Everything is moving to FM," they said. "Everything is moving to satellite," they claimed.
But AM 1100 Las Vegas proves that theory wrong. There is a specific kind of reliability in a terrestrial signal. When the cell towers are overloaded because 65,000 people are at a stadium, your 5G isn't going to stream a game. But your car radio will.
Plus, KWWN also simulcasts on 100.9 FM (K265EZ). This "translator" allows them to reach listeners who refuse to touch the AM band, giving them the best of both worlds: the massive reach of 1100 kHz and the audio clarity of FM.
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Surprising Facts About KWWN
Most people don't realize the station didn't even exist until December 2007. Before that, the sports landscape in Vegas was scattered across smaller frequencies with less power.
When Lotus launched KWWN, they actually had to run "test transmissions" for months to prove they wouldn't mess up the signal for stations in Colorado. It was a massive engineering hurdle. They originally simulcast with 920 AM before finally splitting off to become the primary ESPN affiliate we know today.
How to Listen Today
If you’re looking to catch a game or hear the latest betting lines (this is Vegas, after all), you have a few options:
- The Dial: Turn to 1100 AM or 100.9 FM if you're within the Las Vegas Valley.
- The Web: Go to the Las Vegas Sports Network website (lvsportsnetwork.com). They stream everything live.
- The App: The ESPN Radio app usually carries the national feed, but for the local Vegas shows, the LVSN site is better.
Actionable Next Steps
If you want to get the most out of your local sports coverage, start by checking the weekly broadcast schedule on the Las Vegas Sports Network site. It changes constantly based on the UNLV and Lakers seasons. If you're a commuter, set your second preset to 100.9 FM so you have a clearer signal when you’re stuck in "Spaghetti Bowl" traffic. Finally, if you've got a hot take on the Golden Knights, don't just yell at the TV—save the station's call-in number. Local radio thrives on listener interaction, and the guys at Cofield & Company actually listen to what the fans have to say.