KBGN

KBGN (1060 kHz) is an AM daytimer radio station licensed to Caldwell, Idaho, and serving the Boise metropolitan area. The station broadcasts a Christian radio format and is owned by Nelson M. and Karen E. Wilson.[1]

KBGN
Broadcast areaBoise metropolitan area
Frequency1060 kHz
Programming
FormatChristian radio
AffiliationsUSA Radio News
Ownership
OwnerNelson M. And Karen E. Wilson
History
First air date
October 5, 1960 (October 5, 1960) (at 910)
Former frequencies
910 kHz (1960-1978)
Technical information
Facility ID48249
ClassD
Power10,000 watts days only
Transmitter coordinates
43°43′13″N 116°31′58″W
Links
Websitekbgnradio.com

By day, KBGN is powered at 10,000 watts, using a non-directional antenna. But 1060 AM is a clear channel frequency reserved for Class A stations KYW Philadelphia and XEEP Mexico City. So to avoid interference, KBGN must go off the air at sunset. The transmitter is on Blessinger Road near Willis Road in Star, Idaho.[2]

History

In the 1950s, evangelist and Southern gospel singer F. Demcy Mylar and architect Harold Shaw sought to put a Christian radio station on the air in the Boise area. They formed the Christian Broadcasting Company of Idaho. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted the company a construction permit on July 14, 1960.[3]

KBGN signed on the air on October 5, 1960 (October 5, 1960).[4] It located its studios on East Chicago Street in Caldwell. It originally broadcast at 910 kilocycles. It was powered at 1,000 watts, as a daytimer, required to go off the air at night. KBGN says it was Idaho's first Christian radio station. Mylar served as the original general manager.

When an airport was going to be built in the 1970s, KBGN was told its tower site would be taken for the airport's construction. Losing its site was an opportunity for KBGN to construct a new tower, move to the 1060 frequency and increase its power to 10,000 watts in 1978. That expanded the coverage area to much of Southwest Idaho and part of Oregon. Now four decades old, the station must replace the transmitter and microwave system. The station is holding fundraisers on the air and appealing for donations on its website.


References
  1. "KBGN Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  2. Radio-Locator.com/KBGN
  3. Broadcasting Yearbook 1961-1962 page B-49, Broadcasting & Cable
  4. Broadcasting Yearbook 1963 page B-53
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