Jump to content

KFPW (AM)

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
KFPW
Broadcast areaFort Smith, Arkansas
Frequency1230kHz
BrandingThe Marshal 1230 AM
Programming
FormatTalk
Ownership
OwnerPharis Broadcasting, Inc.
KFPW-FM
History
First air date
1924
Technical information
Facility ID23868
ClassC
Power1,000watts
Transmitter coordinates
35°23′30″N94°19′54″W/ 35.39167°N 94.33167°W/35.39167; -94.33167
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitekfpwam.com

KFPW(1230AM,"The Marshal" ) is aradio stationbroadcasting atalk radioformat to theFort Smith, Arkansas,area. The station is licensed to Pharis Broadcasting, Inc which is owned by William L. Pharis and Karen A. Pharis.[1]

History

[edit]

From Missouri to Arkansas (1924–1928)

[edit]

In May 1924, Rev. Lannie Wright Stewart began KFPW from theparsonageat his church, St. JohnMethodist Episcopal Church, South,inCarterville, Missouri.It had a 20-watt transmitter (common then, but considered low power by modern standards), on 1160 kHz frequency. Its slogan was "Keeping Pace with Christ Means Progress" and it broadcast only a few hours each week, with popular programming and Stewart's Sunday morning church service.[2][3][4]

It was supported by donations from John Brown College (nowJohn Brown UniversityinSiloam Springs, Arkansas).[5]

John Brown University (1928–1930)

[edit]

In 1928, John Elward Brown had two schools in Arkansas: John Brown College in Siloam Springs, and John Brown University inSulphur Springs.The two towns are 20 miles (32 km) apart. The College hired Stewart to head a new Department of Instruction and Broadcast, and he moved the station's equipment to Sulphur Springs, and then to Siloam Springs. The license was issued to John Brown College with Stewart named as the manager.[5][6][7][8]

Ten months after moving to Siloam Springs, Stewart filed another request to move the station back to Carterville. There were conflicting claims on the ownership of the equipment. The Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. investigated(Lannie W. Stewart v. Commission, No. 5158),and the case was voluntarily dismissed with the station licensed to John Brown schools, to operate on 1340 kHz, with 50 watts power, during daytime hours.[5][9][10]

Wright retired from the ministry due to a throat ailment, and moved to Nashville, Tennessee to run a gas station. Brown sold the radio station.[11]

Goldman Hotel (1930–1950)

[edit]

Siloam Springs and Sulphur Springs were rural areas, and the radio transmission was not powerful enough to reach many people, so Brown sold the station[12]in 1930 to Goldman Hotel, which was owned by Southwestern Hotels Company. In about 1930, KFPW's tower was moved to 1213 Garrison St., Fort Smith Arkansas. In 1932, its frequency changed from 1340 to 1210 kHz, power increased to 100 watts, and it was allowed unlimited broadcast times instead of just daytime hours.[13][14]

The Goldman Hotel was known for its expensive hotel rooms and offices, with spaces big enough to host conventions and professional organizations, and dances held in the evenings with live orchestras. KFPW broadcast the live music from the top floors of the hotel.[15]

Griffin Grocery Company (1950–1958)

[edit]

One of KFPW's advertisers was Griffin Grocery Company, which advertised Polar Bear coffee. In the 1940s, J.T. Griffin boughtKOMAandKTULand hadaffiliatedwithColumbia Broadcasting Company (CBS).KFPW was Griffin's third station, paying $50,000 (equivalent to about $650,000 in 2024) for the station and then moving the station to a new building. They bought it to promote Polar Bear Coffee with shows like "Polar Bear Coffee News". KFPW also became a CBS affiliate, which brought a wider audience: Griffin Grocery claimed to have 100% distribution of Polar Bear Coffee in Fort Smith by 1952, which they attributed to their radio advertising.[16][17][18]

George Hernreich (1958–2003)

[edit]

In 1958, Griffin Grocery sold KFPW to George T. Hernreich, a local businessman who owned Esquire Jewelers, which primarily sold and repaired watches for military personnel stationed atCamp Chaffee.Hernreich paid $75,000 (equivalent to about $805,000 in 2024) for the station, at about the same time he sold his 50% interest inKNAC-TV.[18][19][20][21]

After Hernreich's death, KFPW was sold briefly to Prime, LLC, and then sold to Pharis Broadcasting.

References

[edit]
  1. ^"AM Station Profile: KFPW, Ownership Reports".Licensing & Databases Public Inspection File.US Federal Communications Commission (FCC).Retrieved7 April2024.
  2. ^"Radiophone Broadcasting Stations".Radio Digest:31. 10 May 1924.Retrieved7 April2024.
  3. ^"Radiophone Broadcasting Stations".Radio Digest:23. 14 June 1924.Retrieved7 April2024.
  4. ^"Time Table Indexed Alphabetically by Call Letters".Radio Review Combined with Radio Listeners' Guide and Call Book.1(10). September 1926.Retrieved7 April2024.
  5. ^abcFrost, S.E. (1937).Education's Own Stations: The History of Broadcast Licenses Issued to Educational Institutions.Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. pp. 140–141.Retrieved7 April2024.
  6. ^"Broadcasting Stations, by Call Signs".Radio Service Bulletin(135). Radio Division of the US Dept. of Commerce. 30 June 1928.Retrieved7 April2024.
  7. ^"Conditional Renewal Granted 46 Stations by Radio Commission".The United States Daily:2. 7 May 1929.Retrieved7 April2024.
  8. ^"Complete Call Book and Log of All Stations".Radio Digest Illustrated.XXIV(1). November 1929.Retrieved7 April2024.
  9. ^"Appeals from Radio Decisions"".The Journal of Air Law.1(3): 311. July 1930.Retrieved7 April2024.
  10. ^"Court Gets Station Moving Too Often".The Washington Post.6 April 1930. p. A5.Retrieved7 April2024.
  11. ^"Rites today for man found dead: Poison test being made in death here of L. W. Stewart".Nashville Tennessean.26 May 1936. p. 18.Retrieved8 April2024.
  12. ^Williams, Earl R. (1971).John Brown University: Its Founder and Its Founding 1919-1957(EdD thesis). University of Arkansas.
  13. ^"Radio Permits Granted, Denied and Hearings Set".The United States Daily.5(55): 8. 6 May 1930.Retrieved8 April2024.
  14. ^"Actions of the Federal Radio Commission, April 1 to April 14 Inclusive".Broadcasting:33. 15 April 1932.Retrieved8 April2024.
  15. ^Boulden, Ben."The Lost Hotel".Fort Smith Historical Society.Retrieved8 April2024.
  16. ^"Coffee News: KFPW Marks Milestone"(PDF).Broadcasting:94. 22 December 1952.Retrieved8 April2024.
  17. ^Faulk, Odie B. (1991).Quality and Spirit: The Griffin Heritage in Oklahoma.Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Oklahoma Heritage Association.ISBN0-86546-080-9.Retrieved8 April2024.
  18. ^abPatton, J. Fred (1992).History of Fort Smith, Arkansas, 1817 through 1992.N. Little Rock, Arkansas: Prestige Press, Inc.ISBN0-9614629-1-4.Retrieved8 April2024.
  19. ^"Griffin Selling KFPW".Advertising Age.29(15): 36. 7 April 1958.Retrieved8 April2024.
  20. ^Transcript of Record, Southwestern Publishing Co. v. Federal Communications Commission (D.C. Cir. 1956).United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. 21 December 1956.Retrieved8 April2024.
  21. ^"Clips from the Current Press".Television Digest with Electronics Reports.14(19): 9.Retrieved8 April2024.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=KFPW_(AM)&oldid=1221848151"