KBUN (AM)

KBUN, "Sports Radio AM 1450 KBUN", is a sports radio station in Bemidji, Minnesota, broadcasting with 1,000 watts at 1450 AM. It is owned and operated by Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc. The Bemidji studios are located at 502 Beltrami Avenue, downtown Bemidji. The transmitter site is west of town on Jefferson Road.

KBUN
Frequency1450 kHz
Branding1450 KBUN
Programming
FormatSports
AffiliationsFAN Radio Network, Minnesota News Network, ESPN Radio
Ownership
Owner
KBUN-FM, KLLZ-FM, KBHP, KKZY
History
First air date
1946
Technical information
Facility ID51879
ClassC
Power1,000 watts
Translator(s)94.9 K235BP (Bemidji)
100.1 K261EV (Bemidji)
Links
Websitekbunsportsradio.com

Statewide news comes from the Minnesota News Network.

KBUN is part of the FAN Radio Network, whose in-house programs also can be heard throughout Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. The flagship station of the FAN Radio Network is KFXN-FM, a sports talk radio station in the twin cities. Other programming comes from ESPN Radio.

KBUN also airs some local sports programming, and is the area home to the Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings broadcasts.

History

KBUN-AM first went on the air on October 30, 1946, as part of a wave of radio and TV stations that launched after electronics rationing during World War II.[1] It was initially owned and operated by Harry F. Pihl and R. W. Bradford as Bemidji Broadcasting Co. (aka, Paul Bunyan Broadcasting Co.) and broadcast with 250 watts at 1450 AM, from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.[2] Affiliated with the Mutual Broadcasting System (MBS),[3] it was purchased on February 24, 1948, by Butler Broadcasting Co. and operated by Edward and Gwenyth Butler from then until 1956.[4] Its studios were located at 419 1/2 Beltrami Avenue, Bemidji. On November 1, 1956, the FCC announced its approval of KBUN's sale to the Ben H. Potter, Jr., family.[5]

In 1972 Ben Potter, Jr., sold Paul Bunyan Broadcasting Co., to his daughter, Anne P. Delong and her husband, Edward Delong III.[6] In 1989, the Delongs sold KBUN to Louis H. Buron, Jr., who formed Omni Broadcasting as the umbrella company for his radio stations.[7]

Hubbard Broadcasting announced on November 13, 2014, that it would purchase the sixteen Omni Broadcasting stations, including KBUN.[8] The sale was completed on February 27, 2015, at a purchase price of $8 million for the 16 stations and one translator.[9]

On December 10, 2010, Paul Bunyan Broadcasting Co., acquired FM Translator Station K235BP, 94.9 MHz, from Shine the Light, Inc., for $50,000.[10] K235BP relays the KBUN signal. It was the first time the FAN Network was carried anywhere on an FM signal.

References
  1. Historical Scrapbook and Station Directory (PDF). Minnesota Broadcasters Association. 1990. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  2. According to a reply to a radio reception report by chief engineer Dick E. Noble: "Our transmitter is a Raytheon, Model RA250, single vertical tower, radiatór, 150 feet high." "Minnesota Radio Reception Reports" (PDF). American Radio History. 1946-11-22. Retrieved 2017-06-24.
  3. "MBS Tally Goes to 383". The Billboard. December 28, 1946. Retrieved 2017-06-22.
  4. "Edward Butler Obituary". Bemidji Pioneer Press. 1965-03-04.
  5. "Telecasting Notes" (PDF). Television Digest. 1956-11-03. Retrieved 2017-06-25.
  6. "Ownership Changes" (PDF). Broadcasting. Washington, DC. 21 February 1972. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  7. "Ownership Changes" (PDF). Broadcasting. Washington, DC. 8 May 1989. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  8. "Hubbard Picks up 16 Stations From Omni". Radio Ink. November 13, 2014. Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  9. "Hubbard Closes on 16 MN Stations from Omni". Radio Online. February 27, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  10. "FCC CDBS Public Access". fcc.gov. Retrieved March 27, 2020.

47°27′56″N 94°54′20″W


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