KOUU
KOUU (1290 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a classic country music format, as well as local high school sports events.[2] Licensed to Pocatello, Idaho, United States, the station is currently owned by Idaho Wireless Corporation and features programming from ABC Radio.[3]
| City | Pocatello, Idaho |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1290 kHz |
| Branding | Country Classics 1290 AM/96.5 FM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic Country |
| Affiliations | ABC Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Idaho Wireless Corporation |
| History | |
| First air date | November 21, 1956[1] |
| Former call signs | KYTE (1956–1962) KSNN (1962–1978) KISU (1978–1981) KZBQ (1981–1995) |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 28255 |
| Class | D |
| Power | 50,000 watts day 24 watts night |
| Transmitter coordinates | 42°57′28″N 112°25′46″W |
| Translator(s) | see below |
| Links | |
| Website | countryclassicsidaho.com |
History
The station went on the air as KYTE on November 21, 1956.[1] J. Ronald Bayton, the original owner of the independent, music-minded KYTE, sold the station a year later for $60,000 to Thomas R. and A. H. Becker of Newport, Oregon.[4]
Further changes came during 1961 and 1962, when KYTE moved from its original base to a new downtown studio,[5] reopened after a month's silence under new management,[6] and changed its call letters to KSNN on February 26, 1962.[7] The new managers, Tommy Thompson and Daniel C. Libeg, also acquired the station itself: in 1965, Libeg bought out Thompson's share in KSNN.[8]
After a vandalism attempt in April 1967 in which someone shot out the tower lights with a .22-caliber rifle,[9] the station sought approval to move its transmitter site[10] as part of a $100,000 expansion that also included new studio facilities and the construction of an FM station at 93.7 MHz, KSNN-FM.[11] The new offices opened in September 1968,[12] while the FM outlet launched in 1969. KSNN also was hit with a lawsuit from the Associated Press in July 1969 for failure to pay a wire service bill.[13]
While the AM and FM outlets simulcast for the latter's first years in operation, the two stations split the simulcast in 1977, with the FM continuing to offer a Top 40 format while the AM flipped to oldies.[14]
In March 1978, KSNN-AM-FM was sold to the KSNN Broadcasting Company, composed primarily of three businessmen from Hutchinson, Kansas, for $159,000.[15] The new ownership changed the call letters of the AM station to KISU on May 1.[7] A format change in April 1981 resulted in new KZBQ call letters, allowing the television station at Idaho State University to pick up the KISU-TV calls later that year.[16]
KZBQ was acquired by its current owners, Idaho Wireless, in 1985 for $325,000; by this time, it ran an adult contemporary format.[17]
On January 23, 1995, the station changed its call sign to the current KOUU, call letters that had resided on the then-unbuilt 104.1 station at American Falls which became KORR.[18]
Translators
Three translators are listed as associated with the KOUU license:
| Call sign | Frequency (MHz) | City of license | Facility ID | ERP (W) | Height (m (ft)) | Class | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K243CJ | 96.5 | Pocatello | 153928 | 99 | 61 m (200 ft) | D | FCC |
| K275BL | 102.9 | Pocatello | 152298 | 99 | 64 m (210 ft) | D | FCC |
| K294CD | 106.7 | Pocatello | 152582 | 250 | 485 m (1,591 ft) | D | FCC |
References
- "Radio KYTE To Open Here". Idaho State Journal. November 19, 1956. p. 3. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
- "Country Classics Idaho". February 15, 2019.
- "KOUU Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- "KYTE is Sold For $60,000". Idaho State Journal. November 1, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
- "KYTE Moves During Year". Idaho State Journal. February 27, 1962. p. B-4. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
- "New Managers To Reopen KYTE". Idaho State Journal. October 31, 1961. p. 11. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
- FCC History Cards for KOUU
- "KSNN Owner Sells Interest". Idaho State Journal. February 28, 1965. p. 8. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
- "Vandalism At Tower". Idaho State Journal. April 23, 1967. p. 11. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
- "Zoners Favor Kennel South of City". Idaho State Journal. October 19, 1967. p. 2. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
- "Radio Station To Expand". Idaho State Journal. November 2, 1967. p. 19. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
- "Chiefs to Participate In KSNN Opening". Idaho State Journal. September 24, 1968. p. 2A. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
- "AP Sues KSNN Radio, Charges Contract Broken". Idaho State Journal. July 25, 1969. p. A7. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
- "KSNN Radio to Split AM, FM Operations". Idaho State Journal. June 7, 1977. p. A9. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
- "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 20, 1978. p. 58. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
- "Station Changes Letters". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. December 9, 1981. p. A8. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
- "Transactions" (PDF). Radio & Records. December 13, 1985. p. 12. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
- "KOUU Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
External links
- KOUU in the FCC's AM station database
- KOUU on Radio-Locator
- KOUU in Nielsen Audio's AM station database