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KGFX (AM)
Encyclopedia
KGFX is a radio station
broadcasting a country music
format. Licensed to Pierre, South Dakota
, USA, the station serves the Pierre area. The station is currently owned by James River Broadcasting.
All four Pierre James River Broadcasting stations share studios at 214 West Pleasant Drive, in Pierre.
equipment, which was capable of morse code
transmissions but not voice. McNeil applied to the US Department of Commerce for permission to transmit, requesting a Class 5 Special Amateur License. On 13 August 1912 that license was granted and the operation was assigned the call sign 9ZP. It was authorized for spark-gap transmissions only.
A General Amateur Radio License was next applied for, and this was granted on 1 June 1916, using the call sign 9CLS. This class of license allowed voice transmissions, so occasional voice transmissions were made after that date. The station equipment was located in McNeil's house on West Pleasant Drive in Pierre. The equipment moved (along with the McNeil family, which by that time included his wife, the former Ida Anding) to a new house at 203 West Broadway, Pierre in 1921.
On 26 September 1924 the station was "officially" licensed for transmission of both voice and code transmissions. On 15 August 1927 the station's call sign was changed to KGFX and its carrier frequency
was set at 1180 kc
. Its operating hours were set as between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily. This license came from the Federal Radio Commission
, which came into being in 1927.
On 11 November 1928 the station's carrier frequency was changed to 580 kHz. In 1930 the National Weather Bureau
closed its Pierre data-collecting station, and the personnel of KGFX assumed that duty. They used weather balloons and weather-measuring equipment to send weather reports at 6-hour intervals.
In October 1931 the station's carrier frequency changed again, to 630 kHz. In 1932 the station became a full "commercial" operation, soliciting and selling commercial airtime.
In 1934 the Federal Radio Commission was merged into the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC).
On 15 October 1936 Dana McNeil died, leaving the station's ownership and operation to Ida. The studio remained in the McNeil house until 1967, when it moved to the Sahr Building, at the corner of East Capital and Highland Streets.
In 1967 the FCC changed the station's carrier frequency, this time to 1060 kc, and its allowable transmission power was raised to 10,000 watts daytime (1,000 watts nighttime). Two towers were constructed for the station, south of Fort Pierre.
In 1972 James River Broadcasting moved the studio to 214 West Pleasant Drive. In 1976 two additional towers were constructed, and the station began broadcasting around the clock.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
broadcasting a country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
format. Licensed to Pierre, South Dakota
Pierre, South Dakota
Pierre is the capital of the U.S. state of South Dakota and the county seat of Hughes County. The population was 13,646 at the 2010 census, making it the second least populous state capital after Montpelier, Vermont...
, USA, the station serves the Pierre area. The station is currently owned by James River Broadcasting.
All four Pierre James River Broadcasting stations share studios at 214 West Pleasant Drive, in Pierre.
History
The radio station that eventually became KGFX began with Dana McNeil, a railroad man who lived in Pierre. He began experimenting with amateur radio in the first decade of the twentieth century. At that time, "amateur radio" consisted of using spark gapSpark gap
A spark gap consists of an arrangement of two conducting electrodes separated by a gap usually filled with a gas such as air, designed to allow an electric spark to pass between the conductors. When the voltage difference between the conductors exceeds the gap's breakdown voltage, a spark forms,...
equipment, which was capable of morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
transmissions but not voice. McNeil applied to the US Department of Commerce for permission to transmit, requesting a Class 5 Special Amateur License. On 13 August 1912 that license was granted and the operation was assigned the call sign 9ZP. It was authorized for spark-gap transmissions only.
A General Amateur Radio License was next applied for, and this was granted on 1 June 1916, using the call sign 9CLS. This class of license allowed voice transmissions, so occasional voice transmissions were made after that date. The station equipment was located in McNeil's house on West Pleasant Drive in Pierre. The equipment moved (along with the McNeil family, which by that time included his wife, the former Ida Anding) to a new house at 203 West Broadway, Pierre in 1921.
On 26 September 1924 the station was "officially" licensed for transmission of both voice and code transmissions. On 15 August 1927 the station's call sign was changed to KGFX and its carrier frequency
Carrier wave
In telecommunications, a carrier wave or carrier is a waveform that is modulated with an input signal for the purpose of conveying information. This carrier wave is usually a much higher frequency than the input signal...
was set at 1180 kc
KC
-Places:* Karachay-Cherkessia, republic in Russia, ISO 3166-2:RU code* Kuçovë, district in Albania, ISO 3166-2:AL code* Kansas City, Missouri* KC Stadium, a football and rugby-league stadium in England* Kingsthorpe College, a secondary school in England-People:...
. Its operating hours were set as between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily. This license came from the Federal Radio Commission
Federal Radio Commission
The Federal Radio Commission was a government body that regulated radio use in the United States from its creation in 1926 until its replacement by the Federal Communications Commission in 1934...
, which came into being in 1927.
On 11 November 1928 the station's carrier frequency was changed to 580 kHz. In 1930 the National Weather Bureau
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
closed its Pierre data-collecting station, and the personnel of KGFX assumed that duty. They used weather balloons and weather-measuring equipment to send weather reports at 6-hour intervals.
In October 1931 the station's carrier frequency changed again, to 630 kHz. In 1932 the station became a full "commercial" operation, soliciting and selling commercial airtime.
In 1934 the Federal Radio Commission was merged into the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC).
On 15 October 1936 Dana McNeil died, leaving the station's ownership and operation to Ida. The studio remained in the McNeil house until 1967, when it moved to the Sahr Building, at the corner of East Capital and Highland Streets.
In 1967 the FCC changed the station's carrier frequency, this time to 1060 kc, and its allowable transmission power was raised to 10,000 watts daytime (1,000 watts nighttime). Two towers were constructed for the station, south of Fort Pierre.
In 1972 James River Broadcasting moved the studio to 214 West Pleasant Drive. In 1976 two additional towers were constructed, and the station began broadcasting around the clock.