KBOO
Encyclopedia
KBOO is a non-profit organization
, listener-funded FM
Community radio
station broadcasting from Portland
, Oregon
. The station's mission is to serve groups in its listening area who are underrepresented on other local radio stations and to provide access to the airwaves for people who have unconventional or controversial tastes and points of view. It broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and has been on the air since 1968.
KBOO is supported financially by donations from members and a small endowment. As of February 2006, the station had about 6,800 members. The station runs pledge drives twice each year. The annual KBOO budget in 2006 was about $900,000.
The station is run by nine paid staff members and several hundred volunteers. Its offices and broadcast studios are in a converted warehouse in inner Southeast Portland, purchased in 1982. In addition to its main 26,500-watt transmission tower in Portland, KBOO has two repeater stations – in Corvallis, Oregon
(at 100.7 FM) and the Columbia River Gorge
(at 91.9 FM) – which increase its broadcast area to include the Columbia River Gorge and most of the Willamette Valley
.
, a former volunteer at Pacifica Radio's KPFA
, who helped start KRAB
, a now-defunct community station in Seattle.
Milam agreed to help them organize a station, and after a series of meetings, Portland Listener Supported Radio applied for a license for a Portland radio station. In time, Milam helped several other communities start their own stations, including KCHU
, WAIF
, WORT
, KDNA
, KTAO
, and KUSP
.
Milam asked KRAB volunteer David Calhoun if he'd be willing to help organize the new station in Portland. Calhoun, an ex-monk and third-year medical student, packed his VW with a transmitter from Seattle, and moved south.
Sleeping on couches and bumming meals, Calhoun and other volunteers including Gray Haertig (who continues to volunteer to this day) put together what was needed for a community radio station. A basement room was donated on Third and Salmon Streets, in downtown Portland. The space was barely big enough for two tape recorders, one turntable, and Calhoun. A diverse mix of about thirty volunteers came together to help out, including society women, movement radicals, professional broadcast engineers, and musicians.
Selecting call letters referencing a strain of marijuana called "Berkeley Boo", KBOO Community Radio was on the air in June of 1968, at a cost of less than $4,000. The total monthly station budget was about $50. The total output was only ten watts - not quite that of a light bulb. A new and important force on Portland's airwaves was born.
Initially, KBOO was on the air whenever there was a volunteer to flip a switch and activate the repeater signal from KRAB. But almost immediately, the station began to grow. KBOO volunteers lugged big Ampex tape recorders to concerts, political events, and neighborhood meetings; nationally recognized artists and activists were brought into the KBOO studio. Local poets also discovered they had an electronic outlet.
By the summer of 1970, a used 1000-watt transmitter was installed, enabling KBOO's audience and subscriptions to grow. KBOO could be heard in much of Northwest Oregon.
After three years, KBOO outgrew its studio, and moved to a storefront on SE Belmont Street near 31st Avenue. Walls of the makeshift studios were lined with egg cartons for sound insulation. The rest-room graffiti achieved local notoriety for its depth and sheer quantity. Two desks were shared by everyone.
In 1975, the 800-strong KBOO Foundation elected its first Board of Directors. The KBOO Foundation and its officers got the license and ownership of the station. KBOO became fully independent of KRAB and its parent, the Jack Straw Memorial Foundation. After 10 years, KBOO had come of age.
The station moved again, in 1977, to SW Yamhill Street, and soon expanded broadcasting to 24 hours a day on a regularly scheduled basis. KBOO was broadcasting at 12,500 watts. Rapid growth came to KBOO in its new downtown location. Subscribers soared from 1,200 in early 1978 to well above 2,000 by 1980. About 300 volunteers gave KBOO one of the stronger volunteer programs in the nation.
In 1981, urban renewal in downtown Portland forced a search for a new home. KBOO found its present location at 20 SE 8th Avenue (the little robin egg blue building half a block south of East Burnside Street behind the Jupiter Hotel and Doug Fir Lounge). Through a massive volunteer effort, a new station was built in 1982 in an empty warehouse. For the first time, KBOO would own its own home.
In the early '80s, KBOO broadened its commitment to multicultural programming. New Spanish and Asian-language programs were added. A strip of African-American musical programming was added in 1981. A Hispanic strip followed in 1984. News and Public Affairs Director Ross Reynolds and volunteers teamed up to organize a nightly newscast, supplemented by a new wire service and national newscast from Pacifica Radio, which proudly continues to air to this day. A new station, KMUN
, was launched in Astoria through KBOO's help, much as KRAB had nurtured KBOO. Funds were raised to purchase the new building and KBOO was in the black for the first time in memory.
In 1986, the building was purchased. Power was boosted to 23 kW, and KBOO began broadcasting in stereo for the first time. A major federal grant in 1987 allowed purchase of new studio equipment. A satellite dish was added on the roof, and the station bought a remote transmitter, allowing live remote broadcasts of community events.
In the early 1990s, KBOO set up translators in Corvallis (broadcasting at 100.7 FM) and in White Salmon, Washington
(broadcasting at 92.7 FM), allowing KBOO's signal to be received from the very northern tip of Eugene
to The Dalles
, on a good day.
In the summer of 1991, KBOO moved its transmitter to a new location on the 600 feet (182.9 m) KGON
tower on Portland's West Hills
. This increase of 300 feet (91.4 m) gave KBOO much greater range. KBOO's power was boosted to 26.5 kW. Reports from jubilant listeners came in from the coast
and outskirts of Eugene, saying they were hearing KBOO clearly for the first time.
KBOO also strives to fulfill those stated core values off of the air, through its inclusive, participatory structure, and respect for its volunteers, free of all forms of discrimination, harassment, abuse and intimidation.
's 13th annual Grassroots Radio Conference. The conference was held July 24-27, 2008, at Portland State University
's Native American Student and Community Center. It was cosponsored by KBOO, KPSU, and KPCN-LP.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
, listener-funded FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
Community radio
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...
station broadcasting from Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. The station's mission is to serve groups in its listening area who are underrepresented on other local radio stations and to provide access to the airwaves for people who have unconventional or controversial tastes and points of view. It broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and has been on the air since 1968.
KBOO is supported financially by donations from members and a small endowment. As of February 2006, the station had about 6,800 members. The station runs pledge drives twice each year. The annual KBOO budget in 2006 was about $900,000.
The station is run by nine paid staff members and several hundred volunteers. Its offices and broadcast studios are in a converted warehouse in inner Southeast Portland, purchased in 1982. In addition to its main 26,500-watt transmission tower in Portland, KBOO has two repeater stations – in Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
(at 100.7 FM) and the Columbia River Gorge
Columbia River Gorge
The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to deep, the canyon stretches for over as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range forming the boundary between the State of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south...
(at 91.9 FM) – which increase its broadcast area to include the Columbia River Gorge and most of the Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
.
Early Days (1964-1971)
A group of Portlanders organized themselves as Portland Listener Supported Radio in 1964. They approached Lorenzo MilamLorenzo Milam
Lorenzo Wilson Milam, born on August 2, 1933, in Jacksonville, Florida, is an American writer and activist who was instrumental in starting many of the first listener-supported community radio stations in the United States, beginning with KRAB-FM in Seattle in 1962...
, a former volunteer at Pacifica Radio's KPFA
KPFA
KPFA is a listener-funded progressive talk radio and music radio station located in Berkeley, California, broadcasting to the San Francisco Bay Area. KPFA airs public news, public affairs, talk, and music programming. The station signed on-the-air April 15 1949, as the first Pacifica Station...
, who helped start KRAB
KRAB
KRAB is a commercial Modern Rock music radio station in Greenacres, California, broadcasting to the Bakersfield, California, area...
, a now-defunct community station in Seattle.
Milam agreed to help them organize a station, and after a series of meetings, Portland Listener Supported Radio applied for a license for a Portland radio station. In time, Milam helped several other communities start their own stations, including KCHU
KCHU
KCHU is a non-commercial radio station in Valdez, Alaska, United States. Through its main transmitter, two full-service FM stations, and two translators,...
, WAIF
WAIF
WAIF is a community radio station based in Cincinnati, Ohio.-Overview:WAIF is an all-volunteer community radio station, one of only a handful in the USA. Along with WJVS it broadcasts at 88.3 MHz...
, WORT
WORT
WORT is a listener-sponsored community radio station, broadcasting from 118 S. Bedford St. in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. WORT offers a range of programming....
, KDNA
KDNA
KDNA is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish Variety format including music , children's programming, local and international news and a unique show each weekday morning highlighting employment opportunities in the Yakima area, all in Spanish. Licensed to Yakima, Washington, USA, the station...
, KTAO
KTAO
KTAO is a radio station licensed to serve Taos, New Mexico. The station is owned by Taos Communications Corporation. It airs an adult album alternative music format...
, and KUSP
KUSP
KUSP is a community supported, National Public Radio affiliated public radio station. Located in Santa Cruz, California, USA, the signal covers most of California's Central Coast area. Station content consists of about 2/3 news and information and 1/3 music content.-Online audio:KUSP offers a...
.
Milam asked KRAB volunteer David Calhoun if he'd be willing to help organize the new station in Portland. Calhoun, an ex-monk and third-year medical student, packed his VW with a transmitter from Seattle, and moved south.
Sleeping on couches and bumming meals, Calhoun and other volunteers including Gray Haertig (who continues to volunteer to this day) put together what was needed for a community radio station. A basement room was donated on Third and Salmon Streets, in downtown Portland. The space was barely big enough for two tape recorders, one turntable, and Calhoun. A diverse mix of about thirty volunteers came together to help out, including society women, movement radicals, professional broadcast engineers, and musicians.
Selecting call letters referencing a strain of marijuana called "Berkeley Boo", KBOO Community Radio was on the air in June of 1968, at a cost of less than $4,000. The total monthly station budget was about $50. The total output was only ten watts - not quite that of a light bulb. A new and important force on Portland's airwaves was born.
Initially, KBOO was on the air whenever there was a volunteer to flip a switch and activate the repeater signal from KRAB. But almost immediately, the station began to grow. KBOO volunteers lugged big Ampex tape recorders to concerts, political events, and neighborhood meetings; nationally recognized artists and activists were brought into the KBOO studio. Local poets also discovered they had an electronic outlet.
By the summer of 1970, a used 1000-watt transmitter was installed, enabling KBOO's audience and subscriptions to grow. KBOO could be heard in much of Northwest Oregon.
After three years, KBOO outgrew its studio, and moved to a storefront on SE Belmont Street near 31st Avenue. Walls of the makeshift studios were lined with egg cartons for sound insulation. The rest-room graffiti achieved local notoriety for its depth and sheer quantity. Two desks were shared by everyone.
Incorporation and stability (1972-1982)
By 1972, the non-profit KBOO Foundation was born, with an interim five-member Board of Directors. The umbilical cord to KRAB was being cut. By 1973, the staff had grown to five, with about 50 active volunteers. About 600 subscribers donated an average of $20 a year. Station Manager John Ross got an $80,000 federal grant to help purchase equipment.In 1975, the 800-strong KBOO Foundation elected its first Board of Directors. The KBOO Foundation and its officers got the license and ownership of the station. KBOO became fully independent of KRAB and its parent, the Jack Straw Memorial Foundation. After 10 years, KBOO had come of age.
The station moved again, in 1977, to SW Yamhill Street, and soon expanded broadcasting to 24 hours a day on a regularly scheduled basis. KBOO was broadcasting at 12,500 watts. Rapid growth came to KBOO in its new downtown location. Subscribers soared from 1,200 in early 1978 to well above 2,000 by 1980. About 300 volunteers gave KBOO one of the stronger volunteer programs in the nation.
In 1981, urban renewal in downtown Portland forced a search for a new home. KBOO found its present location at 20 SE 8th Avenue (the little robin egg blue building half a block south of East Burnside Street behind the Jupiter Hotel and Doug Fir Lounge). Through a massive volunteer effort, a new station was built in 1982 in an empty warehouse. For the first time, KBOO would own its own home.
Expansion (1982-present)
KMUN
KMUN is a National Public Radio member radio station in Astoria, Oregon....
, was launched in Astoria through KBOO's help, much as KRAB had nurtured KBOO. Funds were raised to purchase the new building and KBOO was in the black for the first time in memory.
In 1986, the building was purchased. Power was boosted to 23 kW, and KBOO began broadcasting in stereo for the first time. A major federal grant in 1987 allowed purchase of new studio equipment. A satellite dish was added on the roof, and the station bought a remote transmitter, allowing live remote broadcasts of community events.
In the early 1990s, KBOO set up translators in Corvallis (broadcasting at 100.7 FM) and in White Salmon, Washington
White Salmon, Washington
White Salmon is a city in Klickitat County, Washington, United States. It is located in the Columbia River Gorge. The population was 2,193 at the 2000 census and increased 1.4% to 2,224 at the 2010 census.-History:...
(broadcasting at 92.7 FM), allowing KBOO's signal to be received from the very northern tip of Eugene
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
to The Dalles
The Dalles, Oregon
The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is...
, on a good day.
In the summer of 1991, KBOO moved its transmitter to a new location on the 600 feet (182.9 m) KGON
KGON
KGON is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. The station also broadcasts in HD featuring live rock performances. Licensed to Portland, Oregon, USA, the station serves the Portland OR/Vancouver WA area...
tower on Portland's West Hills
Tualatin Mountains
The Tualatin Mountains are a range of hills on the western border of Multnomah County, Oregon, United States...
. This increase of 300 feet (91.4 m) gave KBOO much greater range. KBOO's power was boosted to 26.5 kW. Reports from jubilant listeners came in from the coast
Oregon Coast
The Oregon Coast is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It runs generally north-south along the Pacific Ocean, forming the western border of the state; the region is bounded to the east by the Oregon Coast Range. The Oregon Coast stretches approximately from the Columbia River in the north to...
and outskirts of Eugene, saying they were hearing KBOO clearly for the first time.
KBOO's Programming Charter
- KBOO shall be a model of programming, filling needs that other media do not, providing programming to diverse communities and unserved groups. KBOO shall provide access and training to these communities.
- KBOO news/public affairs programming shall place an emphasis on providing a forum for unpopular, controversial or neglected perspectives on important local, national and international issues, reflecting KBOO's values of peace, justice, democracy, human rights, multiculturalism, environmentalism, freedom of expression, and social change.
- KBOO's arts, cultural and musical programming shall cover a wide spectrum of expression from traditional to experimental, and reflect the diverse cultures we serve. KBOO shall strive for spontaneity and programming excellence, both in content and technique.
KBOO also strives to fulfill those stated core values off of the air, through its inclusive, participatory structure, and respect for its volunteers, free of all forms of discrimination, harassment, abuse and intimidation.
GRC 13
KBOO hosted the Grassroots Radio CoalitionGrassroots Radio Coalition
The Grassroots Radio Coalition is a coalition of community media activists.The GRC has a mailing list and holds a conference every year, but has so far not incorporated. There are no dues, no hierarchy and no bylaws...
's 13th annual Grassroots Radio Conference. The conference was held July 24-27, 2008, at Portland State University
Portland State University
Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
's Native American Student and Community Center. It was cosponsored by KBOO, KPSU, and KPCN-LP.