KTHH
Encyclopedia
KTHH is a radio station
licensed
to serve Albany, Oregon
, USA. The station, which began broadcasting in 1959, is currently owned by Bicoastal Media and the broadcast license
is held by Bicoastal Media Licenses V, LLC.
format to the greater Corvallis, Oregon
, area. In addition to its usual music programming, KTHH airs Major League Baseball
games as a member of the Seattle Mariners Radio Network.
s of power, daytime-only, on a frequency of 990 kHz. KABY was owned by the Albany Broadcasting Corporation with Chet Wheeler serving as president and general manager. Just over three years after the station was launched, in May 1962, it was sold to Radio Station KNND, Inc., and W. Gorden Crockett took over as general manager.
changed to KRKT later in 1962. In 1963, the name of the license holding company was changed to Radio Stations KNND & KRKT, Inc. to reflect the duopoly
ownership. In 1966, Peter J. Ryan and Milton A. Viken were acting as co-general managers of the station but by 1967 Ryan would be full in charge as the station's sole general manager.
The company named was changed again in 1968, this time to the more general Interstate Broadcasters, Inc., while Peter J. Ryan remained the GM. Robert Esty joined the station in 1971 overseeing its popular music
format as general manager, promotions manager, and vice president of the company. In 1972, Harry Gilt took over the general manager and promotions manager jobs as the station shifted its format slightly to a contemporary music mix.
Robert Esty returned in early 1973 when his Linn-Benton Broadcasters, Inc., purchased the station from Interstate Broadcasters, Inc., in a transaction that was consummated on May 1, 1973. The company name represented the two Oregon counties served by this station's broadcast signal: Linn
and Benton
. Esty resumed his general manager duties while Harry Gilt remained with the station as the program director overseeing the new country & western music format. The station would stay a country music
outlet through the rest of the 1970s and well beyond.
In April 1998, Robert A. Esty & Marianne Esty applied to the FCC to transfer control of KRKT to the Robert & Marianne Esty Charitable Remainder Trust. The transfer was approved by the FCC on May 19, 1998. In June 1998, the Robert & Marianne Esty Charitable Remainder Trust reached an agreement to sell this station to Jacor Communications. The deal was approved by the FCC on August 18, 1998, and the transaction was consummated on September 15, 1998.
KRKT owner Jacor Communications, Inc., was acquired by Clear Channel Communications
in May 1999. In December 2000, as part of a reorganization after the merger, the KRKT broadcast license
was transferred from Jacor Broadcasting of Oregon, Inc., to Citicasters Licenses, Inc. The transfer was approved by the FCC on January 4, 2001, and the transaction was consummated on June 19, 2001.
music programming for a progressive talk format, primarily programming from Air America Radio
, branded as "990 The Truth", beginning on October 4, 2004. To accompany the new branding, the station applied for and was assigned the KTHH call sign
by the FCC on October 5, 2004. The station dropped the talk programming to return to a classic country music format branded as "The Legend" in late 2006.
In May 2007, Clear Channel Communications
subsidiary Citicasters Licenses, L.P., reached an agreement to sell this station to Bicoastal Media LLC as part of a 14-station deal valued at a reported $37.18 million. The deal was approved by the FCC on July 2, 2007, and the transaction was consummated on October 1, 2007. At the time of the sale, KTHH broadcast a country music
format.
As part of an internal corporate reorganization, Bicoastal Media applied to the FCC in October 2007 to transfer the broadcast license for KTHH from its Bicoastal Willamette Valley, LLC, subsidiary to Bicoastal Media Licenses V, LLC. The transfer was approved by the FCC on October 29, 2007, and the transaction was consummated on the same day.
KTHH aired the minor league baseball
games of the Corvallis Knights
in the 2007 and 2008 seasons before the games shifted to KEJO
for the 2009 season.
On March 1, 2011, KTHH changed their format to comedy, branded as "Comedy 990".
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...
licensed
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
to serve Albany, Oregon
Albany, Oregon
Albany is the eleventh largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon, and is the county seat of Linn County. It is located in the Willamette Valley at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the Willamette River in both Linn and Benton counties, just east of Corvallis and south of Salem. It is...
, USA. The station, which began broadcasting in 1959, is currently owned by Bicoastal Media and the broadcast license
Broadcast license
A broadcast license or broadcast license is a specific type of spectrum license that grants the licensee the privilege to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses are generally straddled with additional restrictions that...
is held by Bicoastal Media Licenses V, LLC.
Programming
KTHH broadcasts a comedyComedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
format to the greater 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....
, area. In addition to its usual music programming, KTHH airs Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
games as a member of the Seattle Mariners Radio Network.
Launch as KABY
This station began regular broadcast operations on January 16, 1959, with 250 wattWatt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s of power, daytime-only, on a frequency of 990 kHz. KABY was owned by the Albany Broadcasting Corporation with Chet Wheeler serving as president and general manager. Just over three years after the station was launched, in May 1962, it was sold to Radio Station KNND, Inc., and W. Gorden Crockett took over as general manager.
Change to KRKT
The new owners had the call signCall sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
changed to KRKT later in 1962. In 1963, the name of the license holding company was changed to Radio Stations KNND & KRKT, Inc. to reflect the duopoly
Duopoly (broadcasting)
In United States broadcast television and radio, duopoly is a term used to describe a single company which owns two or more stations in the same city or community....
ownership. In 1966, Peter J. Ryan and Milton A. Viken were acting as co-general managers of the station but by 1967 Ryan would be full in charge as the station's sole general manager.
The company named was changed again in 1968, this time to the more general Interstate Broadcasters, Inc., while Peter J. Ryan remained the GM. Robert Esty joined the station in 1971 overseeing its popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
format as general manager, promotions manager, and vice president of the company. In 1972, Harry Gilt took over the general manager and promotions manager jobs as the station shifted its format slightly to a contemporary music mix.
Robert Esty returned in early 1973 when his Linn-Benton Broadcasters, Inc., purchased the station from Interstate Broadcasters, Inc., in a transaction that was consummated on May 1, 1973. The company name represented the two Oregon counties served by this station's broadcast signal: Linn
Linn County, Oregon
Linn County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is named in honor of Lewis F. Linn, a U.S. Senator from Missouri who advocated the American occupation of the Oregon Country. By the 2010 US census the population of Linn county was 116,672 showing a 13.2% growth since the 2000 census...
and Benton
Benton County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Siuslaw National Forest *William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 78,153 people, 30,145 households, and 18,237 families residing in the county. The population density was 116 people per square mile . There were 31,980...
. Esty resumed his general manager duties while Harry Gilt remained with the station as the program director overseeing the new country & western music format. The station would stay 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...
outlet through the rest of the 1970s and well beyond.
In April 1998, Robert A. Esty & Marianne Esty applied to the FCC to transfer control of KRKT to the Robert & Marianne Esty Charitable Remainder Trust. The transfer was approved by the FCC on May 19, 1998. In June 1998, the Robert & Marianne Esty Charitable Remainder Trust reached an agreement to sell this station to Jacor Communications. The deal was approved by the FCC on August 18, 1998, and the transaction was consummated on September 15, 1998.
KRKT owner Jacor Communications, Inc., was acquired by Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
in May 1999. In December 2000, as part of a reorganization after the merger, the KRKT broadcast license
Broadcast license
A broadcast license or broadcast license is a specific type of spectrum license that grants the licensee the privilege to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses are generally straddled with additional restrictions that...
was transferred from Jacor Broadcasting of Oregon, Inc., to Citicasters Licenses, Inc. The transfer was approved by the FCC on January 4, 2001, and the transaction was consummated on June 19, 2001.
Switch to KTHH
The station dropped its classic countryClassic country
Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country hits from past decades.This genre generally follows one of two formats: those specializing in hits from the 1920s through the early 1970s, and focus primarily on innovators and artists from country music's Golden...
music programming for a progressive talk format, primarily programming from Air America Radio
Air America Radio
Air America was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk programming...
, branded as "990 The Truth", beginning on October 4, 2004. To accompany the new branding, the station applied for and was assigned the KTHH call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
by the FCC on October 5, 2004. The station dropped the talk programming to return to a classic country music format branded as "The Legend" in late 2006.
In May 2007, Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
subsidiary Citicasters Licenses, L.P., reached an agreement to sell this station to Bicoastal Media LLC as part of a 14-station deal valued at a reported $37.18 million. The deal was approved by the FCC on July 2, 2007, and the transaction was consummated on October 1, 2007. At the time of the sale, KTHH broadcast 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.
As part of an internal corporate reorganization, Bicoastal Media applied to the FCC in October 2007 to transfer the broadcast license for KTHH from its Bicoastal Willamette Valley, LLC, subsidiary to Bicoastal Media Licenses V, LLC. The transfer was approved by the FCC on October 29, 2007, and the transaction was consummated on the same day.
KTHH aired the minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
games of the Corvallis Knights
Corvallis Knights
The Corvallis Knights is a collegiate summer baseball team located in Corvallis, Oregon. Founded in 1990 in Beaverton by Dan and his brother Joe Segal, the Knights moved to Corvallis from Gresham in , they play in the West Coast League, a college summer wood-bat league where college players and...
in the 2007 and 2008 seasons before the games shifted to KEJO
KEJO
KEJO is a radio station licensed to serve Corvallis, Oregon, USA. The station, which began broadcasting in August 1955, is currently owned by Bicoastal Media and the broadcast license is held by Bicoastal Media Licenses V, LLC....
for the 2009 season.
On March 1, 2011, KTHH changed their format to comedy, branded as "Comedy 990".