KIHR

KIHR (1340 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Hood River, Oregon, United States. The station, which began broadcasting in 1950, is currently owned by Bicoastal Media and the broadcast license is held by Bicoastal Media Licenses IV, LLC.

KIHR
Broadcast areaColumbia Gorge
Frequency1340 kHz
BrandingKIHR 98.3 FM/1340 AM
Programming
FormatCountry
Ownership
Owner
  • Bicoastal Media
  • (Bicoastal Media Licenses IV, LLC)
KACI, KACI-FM, KCGB-FM, KMSW
History
First air date
October 17, 1950
Call sign meaning
K I Hood River
Technical information
Facility ID12433
ClassC
Power1,000 watts (unlimited)
Transmitter coordinates
45°42′06″N 121°32′05″W
Translator(s)98.3 K252EN (Rockford)
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitekihramfm.com

Programming

KIHR broadcasts a country music format.[1] In addition to its usual music programming, KIHR broadcasts National Basketball Association games as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers radio network.[2] Other sports programming on KIHR includes select Hood River Valley High School events, Major League Baseball from ESPN Radio, and University of Oregon Ducks football.[3][4]

History

The beginning

KIHR began regular broadcasting on October 17, 1950, with 250 watts of power on a frequency of 1340 kHz.[5] The station's licensee, Oregon-Washington Broadcasters, Inc., was owned by C.H. Fisher and C.O. Fisher.[5]

Walden family ownership

On April 1, 1967, Paul Walden acquired KIHR through his newly formed Columbia Gorge Broadcasters, Inc.[6] The station received authorization from the Federal Communications Commission to increase the strength of its daytime signal to 1,000 watts beginning in 1970.[7] Nighttime power remained at the previous 250 watt level.[7] Walden added an FM sister station, KCGB-FM (105.5 FM), in 1978.[8] On April 1, 1986, 19 years to the day after he acquired KIHR, Paul Walden sold Columbia Gorge Broadcasters, Inc., and control of both KIHR and KCGB-FM to his son Greg Walden and Greg's wife Mylene.[8]

Greg Walden began his career in broadcasting as a teenager when he started work as a janitor at KIHR, then owned by his father, before moving on to on-air work and, eventually, ownership of the station.[9][10][11] In 1998, Greg Walden ran for and was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Republican from Oregon's 2nd congressional district.[8][12][13][14] During his tenure, until he sold his station group in 2007, Walden was the only broadcast license holder serving in the United States Congress.[9]

KIHR today

In February 2007, Columbia Gorge Broadcasters, Inc., reached an agreement to sell this station to Bicoastal Columbia River, LLC, as part of a 5-station deal valued at $2.78 million.[15][16] The deal was approved by the FCC on September 13, 2007, and the transaction was consummated on December 1, 2007.[17] At the time of the sale, KIHR broadcast a country music format.[15]

As part of an internal corporate reorganization, Bicoastal Columbia River, LLC, applied to the FCC in to transfer the broadcast license for this station to Bicoastal Media Licenses IV, LLC. The deal was approved by the FCC on October 29, 2007, and this transaction was also consummated on December 1, 2007.[18] In July 2010 KIHR begin broadcasting on the FM dial at 98.3. This was due to a change at the FCC to allow AM stations to rebroadcast on FM translators. KIHR still broadcasts on AM 1340. In August 2013 KIHR along with sister stations KCGB, KACI AM, KACI FM and KMSW began streaming their broadcasts on the internet along with smart devices such as the Amazon Echo Dot.

Awards and honors

KIHR morning show Mid-Columbia Today was named "best public affairs program" for 2002 by the Oregon Association of Broadcasters.[19] KIHR won the Oregon Associated Press Broadcasters Association Division II award for "overall excellence in news coverage" for its work in both 2002 and 2003.[19] KIHR was named the 2004 Small Market Station of the Year at the Marconi Awards presented by the National Association of Broadcasters.[11][20][21][22]

References
  1. "Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  2. "List of Stations". The Official Site of the Portland Trail Blazer. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
  3. "OSN Radio Affiliates". GoDucks.com - The University of Oregon Official Athletics Web Site. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  4. "KIHR 1340 AM". Bicoastal Media Radio Network. Archived from the original on March 16, 2010. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
  5. "Directory of AM and FM Stations and Market Data for the United States". 1951 Broadcasting Yearbook-Marketbook. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1951. p. 255.
  6. "The Facilities of Radio". 1968 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1968. p. B-134.
  7. "The Facilities of Radio". 1971 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1971. p. B-170.
  8. Nichols, Rodger (January 31, 2007). "Waldens sell gorge radio stations; Bicoastal Columbia River, LLC takes over". The Dalles Chronicle.
  9. Puzzanghera, Jim (July 5, 2006). "Lawmaker Sees Both Sides of Broadcast Legislation". Los Angeles Times. p. C1. "There is an incredible lack of understanding about the broadcast media in this Congress," said Walden, 49, who got his start in broadcasting more than three decades ago as a janitor at his father's rural Oregon stations.
  10. "A Conversation with Greg Walden" (PDF). WSMB Signals. Western States Museum of Broadcasting. August 15, 2006.
  11. Farber, Erica (January 7, 2005). "Publisher's Profile: Greg Walden". Radio & Records. Archived from the original on May 8, 2006. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  12. Albiniak, Paige (October 26, 1998). "Oregon radio broadcaster runs for Congress". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012.
  13. "U.S. Rep. Walden sells radio stations in Columbia Gorge". KGW - NewsChannel 8 Portland. February 1, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
  14. "WALDEN, Greg, (1957 - )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  15. "Deals - 2007-02-24". Broadcasting & Cable. February 25, 2007.
  16. "Transactions for Feb. 8, 2007". Radio & Records. February 8, 2007.
  17. "Application Search Details (BAL-20070205ADT)". FCC Media Bureau. December 1, 2007. Archived from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
  18. "Application Search Details (BAL-20071016AEM)". FCC Media Bureau. December 1, 2007. Archived from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
  19. "Hood River Radio Station Named Best In The Nation". Gorge Business Journal. October 9, 2004.
  20. "Marconi Radio Award Winners Announced". Radio Currents Online. October 8, 2004.
  21. "2004 Marconi Radio Award Winners". National Association of Broadcasters. Archived from the original on November 30, 2008. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
  22. "Hood River Radio Station Named Best In The Nation". Gorge Business Journal. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
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