KBPS (AM)

KBPS (1450 AM) is a high school radio station in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is run by Benson Polytechnic High School students enrolled in the radio broadcasting program. It is owned by Portland Public Schools.

KBPS
CityPortland, Oregon
Frequency1450 kHz C-QUAM AM Stereo
BrandingAM 1450 KBPS
Slogan"Voice of the Portland Public Schools"
"Teen Sound"
"Summer Sound"
Programming
FormatDaytime (school days):
Top 40, Hot Adult Contemporary, CHR
Nights/Weekends, Non-school days:
Oldies, Adult standards, Classic rock
Holiday music (Nov.-Dec.)
Ownership
OwnerPortland Public Schools
(School District #1, Multnomah County, OR)
History
First air date
March 23, 1923 (as KFIF)
Former call signs
KFIF (1923-1930)
Call sign meaning
Benson Polytechnic School[1]
Technical information
Facility ID4782
ClassC
Power1,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates
45°31′38″N 122°39′3″W
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitekbps.am

KQAC, formerly KBPS-FM, and KBPS share the same building, the FM station no longer has any affiliation with Portland Public Schools other than the space they rent out.

KBPS broadcasts in AM Stereo.

History

In May 1921, the Benson Tech Radio Club received a government license to operate telegraph station 7YK, later changing the call sign to 7XAD in October 1923. This would lead to Benson's first broadcasting station on May 4, 1923, at 6:00 PM when station KFIF signed on the air. This was only the second radio station operated by an educational institute.[2]

KFIF became KBPS on March 17, 1930, when KFIF became too expensive for the student body to operate. The District accepted ownership of the station. Prior to 1947 the station only broadcast six hours each day.[2] The station was renamed KBPS (for Benson Polytechnic School) and has continued to operate on the Benson campus and to be staffed by Benson students.

Patricia Green Swenson was the general manager of the station from 1947 until 1994.[2]

Portland State University rented out the 1450 AM frequency for their college radio station, which broadcast from 5 p.m. until midnight on weekdays and from noon to midnight on the weekends. This time-sharing arrangement ended on June 25, 2010.

On July 1, 2012 KBPS signed off the air for the summer due to budget cuts, but returned to the air later in 2012.[3]

References
  1. Nelson, Bob (June 2, 2009). "Call Letter Origins". 238. The Broadcast Archive. Archived from the original on February 18, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2009.
  2. Carlin, Peter Ames (2010-01-10). "Patricia Swenson, longtime manager of Benson radio station KBPS, dies at 93". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
  3. Anderson, Jennifer (February 7, 2013). "Changes, donations keep KBPS on air". Portland Tribune. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.