KAGI

KAGI (930 AM) is a radio station in Grants Pass, Oregon, United States. The station is owned by Southern Oregon University and is part of its Jefferson Public Radio (JPR) network; it airs JPR's "News & Information" service, consisting of news and talk programming. While it principally broadcasts at 930 kHz on the AM band, a translator, K250BZ (97.9 FM), rebroadcasts its programming on the FM band in the Grants Pass area.

KAGI
Frequency930 kHz AM
BrandingJefferson Public Radio
Programming
FormatPublic radio; news/talk
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerSouthern Oregon University
History
First air date
December 16, 1939 (1939-12-16)
Former call signs
KUIN (1939–1958)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID61334
ClassD
Power5,000 watts (day); 123 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates
42°26′16″N 123°21′27″W
Translator(s)97.9 K250BZ (Grants Pass)
Links
Public license information
WebcastStream
Websiteijpr.org

KAGI is the oldest station in Grants Pass, starting as KUIN on December 16, 1939. It became KAGI in 1958, coinciding with a power increase. The Smullin family was involved in the station for its first 52 years of existence until donating the station to Southern Oregon University in 1991. The donations of KAGI and KSJK in Talent allowed JPR to begin providing a separate news and information station.

History

The station was put on the air as KUIN by Southern Oregon Broadcasting Company—a group formed by Bill Smullin, founder of California Oregon Broadcasting, Inc., and Grants Pass Daily Courier publisher Amos Voorhies—on December 16, 1939.[2] It was the first radio station in Grants Pass.[3] The call letters were taken from the former name of station manager John Bauriedel's wife, Quinn.[4]

The station broadcast at 1310 kHz from its start until March 29, 1941, when all stations on 1310 moved to 1340 kHz as part of the radio reallocations of NARBA; it operated with 100 watts until being approved for 250 watts on June 4, 1940.[5] KUIN joined the Mutual Broadcasting System and Don Lee Network in 1943.[6] In 1958, KUIN was approved to change its frequency from 1340 to 930 kHz and operate with 1,000 watts; it changed its call letters to KAGI on December 5, 1958.[5] A previous attempt to move to 1480 kHz with 5,000 watts was denied in 1956 on interference grounds.[7]

In 1961, a sale of the station was made to a group of stockholders known as KAGI, Inc., in which Southern Oregon Broadcasting Company was also an owner.[8] The sale came a year after Voorhies died; by his death, he had also owned part of three Oregon television stations in association with Smullin.[3][9]

The adult contemporary-formatted station was donated to Southern Oregon State College, now Southern Oregon University, by the Smullin family in 1991, a donation valued at $300,000.[10] It was the second donation of an AM station to the network after KSJK in Talent, Oregon, in 1990.[11] The donations of the two AM stations allowed the college's Jefferson Public Radio network to begin broadcasting a separate news and information service on the transmitters.[12]

References
  1. "Facility Technical Data for KAGI". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. "KRNR Dial-Log". The News-Review. December 16, 1949. p. 5. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Kramer, Ronald. "William B. Smullin (1907-1995)". The Oregon Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  4. Moyes, William (January 15, 1940). "Behind the Mike". The Oregonian. p. 7 – via GenealogyBank.
  5. "FCC History Cards for KAGI". FCC.
  6. "KUIN Joins Don Lee". Broadcasting. September 6, 1943. p. 47. ProQuest 1014977627.
  7. "FCC Initial Decisions Propose One Am Grant, One Denial". Broadcasting. October 1, 1956. p. 71. ProQuest 1285732002.
  8. "Radio Station KAGI To Have New Owners". The News-Review. Associated Press. July 5, 1961. p. 14. Retrieved August 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Obituaries: Amos E. Voorhies". Variety. November 9, 1960. p. 71. ProQuest 1032427416.
  10. "Transactions: Group W Cashes Phoenix Combo For $12 Million". Radio & Records. March 8, 1991. p. 8. ProQuest 1017238704.
  11. "Jefferson Public Radio: Boosting the signal". Ashland Daily Tidings. January 2, 2004.
  12. "JPR and Christian radio station KDOV ...". Ashland Daily Tidings. August 6, 2005.
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