KWIL

Not to be confused with WIL-FM in St. Louis.

KWIL
Broadcast areaWillamette Valley
Frequency790 kHz
BrandingKWIL For Christ
Programming
FormatChristian radio
Ownership
OwnerExtra Mile Media, Inc.
KHPE
History
First air date
January 14, 1941 (1941-01-14)[1]
Former frequencies
1240 kHz (1941–1953)
Call sign meaning
Willamette Valley
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID837
ClassB
Power1,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates
44°37′54″N 123°00′57″W / 44.63167°N 123.01583°W / 44.63167; -123.01583
Translator96.9 K245DI (Albany)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitekwilforchrist.com

KWIL (790 AM, "KWIL For Christ") is a commercial radio station licensed to Albany, Oregon, United States, and serving the Willamette Valley with a Christian format.[3][4] Owned by Extra Mile Media, Inc., studios and transmitter are located on Santiam Highway SE (U.S. Route 20).

Programming is also heard on 250-watt FM translator K245DI at 96.9 MHz in Albany.

History

KWIL signed on the air on January 14, 1941.[5] It originally was powered at 250 watts, broadcasting on a frequency of 1240 kHz.[6] The station was owned and operated by the Central Willamette Broadcasting Company.[6] KWIL was a network affiliate of the Mutual Broadcasting System.

On October 15, 1947, KWIL added an FM sister station, KWIL-FM at 101.7 MHz.[7] Management saw little chance of making the station profitable and it was taken off the air on August 21, 1956.[8]

In 1953, KWIL changed frequencies to 790 kHz. The lower dial position allowed its signal to expand; it increased its power to 1,000 watts but also had to use a directional antenna with different daytime and nighttime coverage patterns.[9]

KWIL was acquired by Larry Gordon's Albany Radio Corporation on July 1, 1957.[1] KWIL added a new FM station to its facilities. The second KWIL-FM began broadcasting at 107.9 MHz in 1969. Today, that station is co-owned WHPE, with a Christian Contemporary format.

Christian broadcaster Integrity Media acquired KWIL and KHPE in 1980. Integrity Media changed its name to Extra Mile Media, Inc., in 2005.[4]

(KWIL's logo under previous "The Word" branding)

References

  1. ^ a b "Directory of Radio Stations in the United States and Canada". Broadcasting Yearbook 1979. Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1979. p. C-179.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KWIL". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  4. ^ a b "Sale of Eugene's KEED planned". Christian News Northwest. February 4, 2005.
  5. ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 page C-171. Retrieved Nov. 21, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Directory of Standard Broadcasting Stations of the United States". 1944 Broadcasting-Telecasting Yearbook. Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1944. p. 142.
  7. ^ "KWIL-FM Albany, Oregon Commences Broadcasting" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 27, 1947. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  8. ^ "Existing FM Stations" (PDF). Broadcasting. August 27, 1956. p. 116. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  9. ^ "Directory of the AM and FM stations of the United States". 1954 Broadcasting Yearbook-Marketbook. Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1954. p. 264.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.