KWVR (AM)
Encyclopedia
KWVR is a radio station
licensed
to serve Enterprise, Oregon
, USA. The station, established in 1960, and its FM sister station
KWVR-FM
are currently owned by Wallowa Valley Radio, LLC. Wallowa Valley Radio, LLC, is wholly owned by family members Richard, Mary, and David Frasch.
/talk radio
format which features a mix of local and syndicated news, talk, sports, and information programming.
s hosted by Rush Limbaugh
, Lars Larson
, Dennis Miller
, and Dr. Dean Edell, plus Coast to Coast AM
hosted by George Noory
. Notable weekend programming includes a computer advice show with Kim Komando
, Moneytalk with Bob Brinker
, Red Steagall's Cowboy Corner
, The Cowboy Show with Ken Overcast, and The Horse Show with Rick Lamb.
. Sporting events broadcast by KWVR include National Basketball Association
games as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers
Radio Network and Oregon State University
Beavers football
.
, with 250 watt
s of power on a frequency of 1340 kHz. The station was assigned the KWVR call sign
by the Federal Communications Commission
on. Original station owner Gene W. Wilson also served as company president, commercial manager, and general manager of KWVR. Through the late 1960s and into the early 1970s, the station aired a mixed format of middle of the road and country & western music.
In November 1979, David O. Dirks reached an agreement to sell KWVR to High Valley Broadcasting, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on December 27, 1979. Just over two years later, in February 1982, High Valley Broadcasting, Inc., contracted to sell this station to Tri Star Communications Corporation, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on April 5, 1982.
The new owners filed an application with the FCC in November 1983 to increase the station's daytime signal strength from 250 to 1,000 watts. The FCC granted KWVR a new construction permit
on March 22, 1983, to allow the upgrade and adding a nighttime signal at 250 watts.
forced a break in his streak in March 2008. The Perkinses lived in the KWVR radio studio building until they sold the station in December 2008.
sister station
to Wallowa Valley Radio, LLC, for a combined sale price of $650,000. The deal was approved by the FCC on January 27, 2009, and the transaction was consummated on March 1, 2009.
Wallowa Valley Radio, LLC, is wholly owned by family members Richard, Mary, and David Frasch of Chanhassen
and Fairmont, Minnesota
. The Frasch family has owned ranching property in Wallowa County, Oregon
, for more than 20 years.
.
Lee and Carol-Lee Perkins were chosen to preside as Grand Marshals of the 59th Annual Chief Joseph Days
celebration in July 2004. The annual event is held in Joseph, Oregon
.
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 Enterprise, Oregon
Enterprise, Oregon
Enterprise is a city in and the county seat of Wallowa County, Oregon, United States. The population was 1,895 at the 2000 census, with an estimated population of 1,940 in 2007.- History :...
, USA. The station, established in 1960, and its FM sister station
Sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio and/or television stations operated by the same ownership....
KWVR-FM
KWVR-FM
KWVR-FM is a radio station licensed to serve Enterprise, Oregon, USA. The station, which began broadcasting in 1987, is currently owned by Wallowa Valley Radio, LLC.-Programming:...
are currently owned by Wallowa Valley Radio, LLC. Wallowa Valley Radio, LLC, is wholly owned by family members Richard, Mary, and David Frasch.
Programming
KWVR broadcasts a newsNews Radio
News Radio can refer to:* NewsRadio, the NBC sitcom which aired from 1995–1999.* News radio, the all-news or news/talk radio format....
/talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
format which features a mix of local and syndicated news, talk, sports, and information programming.
Syndicated programs
Weekday syndicated programs include talk showTalk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
s hosted by Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
, Lars Larson
Lars Larson
Lars Larson is a conservative U.S. talk radio show host based in Oregon. Larson hosts a national talk radio show, which as of 2009 is syndicated by Compass Media Networks...
, Dennis Miller
Dennis Miller
Dennis Miller is an American stand-up comedian, political commentator, actor, sports commentator, and television and radio personality. He is known for his critical assessments laced with pop culture references...
, and Dr. Dean Edell, plus Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM is a North American late-night syndicated radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics, but most frequently ones that relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was created by Art Bell and is distributed by Premiere Radio Networks. The program currently...
hosted by George Noory
George Noory
George Ralph Noory is a Lebanese-American radio talk show host.As of 2010, he is the weekday host of the late-night radio talk show Coast to Coast AM. He is heard across the United States and Canada on many AM and FM stations as well as on XM Satellite Radio. His show is one of the most listened...
. Notable weekend programming includes a computer advice show with Kim Komando
Kim Komando
Kim Komando is the host of an American talk radio program based on the popularity of personal computers, the use of the Internet, and the complexities of consumer electronics. The Kim Komando Show is broadcast and syndicated on over 450 radio stations in the U.S. and two stations in Ontario, Canada...
, Moneytalk with Bob Brinker
Bob Brinker
Bob Brinker is the host of the radio show Moneytalk, which has been on the air nationally since 1986. He previously had a show on local New York radio on WMCA. Prior to that Brinker hosted talkradio programs on WCAU and WWDB in Philadelphia...
, Red Steagall's Cowboy Corner
Red Steagall
Russell Steagall is a multitalented showbusiness personality whose career has covered a period of 35 years and has spanned the globe...
, The Cowboy Show with Ken Overcast, and The Horse Show with Rick Lamb.
Sports programs
Sports talk programming on KWVR includes select weeknight and weekend shows from ESPN RadioESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
. Sporting events broadcast by KWVR include National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
games as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
Radio Network and Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
Beavers football
Oregon State Beavers football
The Oregon State Beavers football team represents Oregon State University in NCAA Division I-A college football. The team first fielded an organized football team in 1893 and is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The head coach is Mike Riley, with Danny Langsdorf as the offensive...
.
The beginning
This station began regular broadcast operations on June 1, 1960, serving Wallowa County, OregonWallowa County, Oregon
Wallowa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is included in the 8 county definition of Eastern Oregon. According to Oregon Geographic Names, the origins of the county's name are uncertain, with the most likely explanation being that it is derived from the Nez Perce term for a...
, with 250 watt
Watt
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 on a frequency of 1340 kHz. The station was assigned the KWVR 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 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...
on. Original station owner Gene W. Wilson also served as company president, commercial manager, and general manager of KWVR. Through the late 1960s and into the early 1970s, the station aired a mixed format of middle of the road and country & western music.
A decade of change
Nearly fifteen years after construction on KWVR began, owner Gene W. Wilson agreed to sell the station to David O. Dirks in a deal that closed in November 1974. Dirks continued the station's mix of MOR and country music through the end of the 1970s.In November 1979, David O. Dirks reached an agreement to sell KWVR to High Valley Broadcasting, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on December 27, 1979. Just over two years later, in February 1982, High Valley Broadcasting, Inc., contracted to sell this station to Tri Star Communications Corporation, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on April 5, 1982.
The new owners filed an application with the FCC in November 1983 to increase the station's daytime signal strength from 250 to 1,000 watts. The FCC granted KWVR a new construction permit
Construction permit
A construction permit or building permit is a permit required in most jurisdictions for new construction, or adding on to pre-existing structures, and in some cases for major renovations. Generally, the new construction must be inspected during construction and after completion to ensure compliance...
on March 22, 1983, to allow the upgrade and adding a nighttime signal at 250 watts.
The Perkins era
In June 1984, Tri Star Communications Corporation, Inc., reached an agreement to sell this station to Wallowa Valley Radio Broadcasting Corporation, a company wholly owned by Lee D. Perkins and Carol-Lee Perkins, a married couple. The deal was approved by the FCC on August 13, 1984, and the transaction was consummated on November 19, 1984. In addition to splitting management and production duties as a couple, Lee Perkins also did play-by-play for local high school sports, not missing a game for more than 24 years until pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
forced a break in his streak in March 2008. The Perkinses lived in the KWVR radio studio building until they sold the station in December 2008.
KWVR today
After nearly a quarter-century of continuous ownership, Wallowa Valley Radio Broadcasting Corporation reached an agreement in December 2008 to sell this station and its KWVR-FMKWVR-FM
KWVR-FM is a radio station licensed to serve Enterprise, Oregon, USA. The station, which began broadcasting in 1987, is currently owned by Wallowa Valley Radio, LLC.-Programming:...
sister station
Sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio and/or television stations operated by the same ownership....
to Wallowa Valley Radio, LLC, for a combined sale price of $650,000. The deal was approved by the FCC on January 27, 2009, and the transaction was consummated on March 1, 2009.
Wallowa Valley Radio, LLC, is wholly owned by family members Richard, Mary, and David Frasch of Chanhassen
Chanhassen, Minnesota
Chanhassen is a city in Carver and Hennepin counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is southwest of Minneapolis. The population was 22,952 at the 2010 census....
and Fairmont, Minnesota
Fairmont, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,889 people and 2,962 families residing in the city. The population density was 747.5 people per square mile . There were 5,036 housing units at an average density of 345.7 per square mile...
. The Frasch family has owned ranching property in Wallowa County, Oregon
Wallowa County, Oregon
Wallowa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is included in the 8 county definition of Eastern Oregon. According to Oregon Geographic Names, the origins of the county's name are uncertain, with the most likely explanation being that it is derived from the Nez Perce term for a...
, for more than 20 years.
Awards and honors
On September 13, 2003, Lee Perkins was named Broadcaster of the Year by the Oregon Association of Broadcasters. Citing his "significant and lasting contribution to Oregon broadcasting", the OAB presented the award to the man known as the "Voice of Wallowa County" at their annual conference in Portland, OregonPortland, 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...
.
Lee and Carol-Lee Perkins were chosen to preside as Grand Marshals of the 59th Annual Chief Joseph Days
Chief Joseph
Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, popularly known as Chief Joseph, or Young Joseph was the leader of the Wal-lam-wat-kain band of Nez Perce during General Oliver O. Howard's attempt to forcibly remove his band and the other "non-treaty" Nez Perce to a reservation in Idaho...
celebration in July 2004. The annual event is held in Joseph, Oregon
Joseph, Oregon
Joseph is a city in Wallowa County, Oregon, United States. Originally named Silver Lake and Lake City, in 1880 the city formally named itself for Nez Perce Chief Joseph. The population was 1,054 at the 2000 census.- History :...
.