KPBX-FM
 | |
| Broadcast area | Inland Empire |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 91.1MHz(HD Radio) |
| Branding | Spokane Public Radio |
| Programming | |
| Format | Public Radio-News/Talk-Classical music-Jazz |
| Subchannels | HD2:KSFCsimulcast HD3:KPBZsimulcast |
| Affiliations | National Public Radio BBC World Service |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Spokane Public Radio, Inc. |
| KSFC,KPBZ | |
| History | |
First air date | January 20, 1980 Originally experimental c. 1971-1977 |
Call signmeaning | PuBlic Broadcasting |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 61942 |
| Class | C |
| ERP | 56,000watts |
| HAAT | 725 meters (2,379 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 47°34′13″N117°05′0″W/ 47.57028°N 117.08333°W |
| Translator(s) | See § Translators |
| Repeater(s) | See § Repeaters |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | spokanepublicradio.org |
KPBX-FM(91.1MHz) is anon-commercial,listener-supported,public radiostationinSpokane, Washington.It airs news, talk and information programs on weekday morning and afternoondrive times,with a mix of music shows featuringclassical,jazz,blues,folkand other genres the rest of the day, and theBBC World Serviceovernight. KPBX-FM, along withsister stations91.9KSFCand 90.3KPBZ,are owned and operated by Spokane Public Radio.
KPBX-FM is aClass Cstation. It broadcasts with aneffective radiated power(ERP) of 56,000watts.Itstransmittertoweris off East Henry Road inSpokane Valley.[2]Through seven full-powerrepeatersand six translators, it reaches listeners in easternWashington,northeasternOregon,northernIdaho,westernMontanaand southernBritish Columbia.
History
[edit]Early years
[edit]The station traces its history to a ten-watttransmitter. It was erected in the early 1970s at the home of George Cole in the South Hill neighborhood of Spokane. It broadcast various kinds of music eight hours a day from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. In 1974, David Schoengold, a record store owner and law school student, took over the station from Cole and expanded its broadcast schedule to 24 hours a day. It became very popular, with people waiting at all hours of the day to go on the air. It also gained the attention ofNational Public Radio,since Spokane had no NPRnetwork affiliate.NPR sent tapes ofAll Things Consideredto the station, hoping the program might be carried. The nearest NPR station in the area wasKWSUinPullman,which was difficult for Spokane listeners to pick up.
Schoengold wanted a better station for the area, so he formed the Spokane Public Broadcasting Association to raise funding for a full-power public radio station. The 10-watt transmitter went off the air at the suggestion of one of Schoengold's friends in order to make it easier to raise the money. Getting the required funding took longer than expected, in part because the board was committed to keeping the proposed station as a community license. While linking up with a local nonprofit or an educational institution would have provided greater security, many board members believed that it would have also compromised the station's ability to program potentially controversial content.
Fundraising
[edit]It took several years of fundraising (with a final goal larger than that of a typical year's fundraising at area public television stationKSPS-TV). There were also several delays in the starting date. KPBX finallysigned onthe air on January 20, 1980.The station was actually ready to debut in 1979, having hired a general manager/program director and 13 staffers. However, FCC concerns forced a year's delay.
KPBX-FM had to postpone its first pledge drive due to an unforeseen event. It was scheduled for May 18, 1980. That was the dateMount St. Helenserupted, andPacific Northwest Bellrequested that phone lines be used for emergencies only. It is one of seven local Spokane FM radio stations heard acrossCanadato subscribers of theShaw Directsatellite TVservice.[3]
Specialty shows
[edit]The station broadcasts a mix of NPR news and entertainment,classical music,jazzand other musical genres. KPBX also carriesBirdNote Daily,a two-minute show about birds and nature, produced in Washington State.
KPBX had broadcast theWashington Talking Book & Braille Library's EvergreenRadio Reading Serviceto blind and handicapped listeners on its67kHzsubcarrier.With other reading services available on the internet, the KPBX service was shut down on August 15, 2014.[4]KPBX was one of three major FM stations in Washington to do so;KUOW-FMinSeattleandKFAE-FMinRichlandwere the others.[5]This service required a special FM radio capable of receiving such broadcasts. It could not be received on a standard FM radio.
The station's studios are located at 1229 North Monroe Street. KPBX-FM renovated a former fire station to relocate the offices in 2015.[6]
Repeaters
[edit]| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | Facility ID | ERP W |
Height m(ft) |
Class | Transmitter coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KIBX | 92.1 FM (HD) | Bonners Ferry, Idaho | 77383 | 74 | 838 m (2,749 ft) | A | 48°36′37″N116°15′24″W/ 48.61028°N 116.25667°W |
| KLGG | 89.3 FM | Kellogg, Idaho | 172927 | 100 | 782 m (2,566 ft) | C3 | 47°29′32″N116°08′33″W/ 47.49222°N 116.14250°W |
| KOMQ | 88.5 FM | Omak, Washington | 173719 | 100 | 777.1 m (2,550 ft) | C3 | 48°27′15″N119°18′30″W/ 48.45417°N 119.30833°W |
| KPBG | 90.9 FM | Oroville, Washington | 173880 | 1,000 | 4.7 m (15 ft) | A | 48°46′59.1″N119°22′56.1″W/ 48.783083°N 119.382250°W |
| KPBW | 91.9 FM | Brewster, Washington | 173803 | 1,000 | 755.2 m (2,478 ft) | C2 | 48°02′14″N119°59′7″W/ 48.03722°N 119.98528°W |
| KTWP | 91.1 FM | Twisp, Washington | 173815 | 110 | 511 m (1,677 ft) | A | 48°19′3″N120°06′53″W/ 48.31750°N 120.11472°W |
Translators
[edit]| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP(W) | HAAT | Class | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K214AR | 90.7 FM | Spokane, Washington | 61936 | 48 | 28m(92ft) | D | LMS |
| K220CQ | 91.9 FM | Brewster, Washington | 61941 | 46 | 630 m (2,067 ft) | D | LMS |
| K220CR | 91.7 FM | Oroville, Washington, etc. | 61937 | 11 | 120 m (394 ft) | D | LMS |
| K220DV | 91.9 FM | Grand Coulee, Washington | 35458 | 46 | −2 m (−7 ft) | D | LMS |
References
[edit]- ^"Facility Technical Data for KPBX-FM".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
- ^Radio-Locator /KPBX
- ^Channel listingstarchoice
- ^"Evergreen Radio Reading Service Ending".Archived fromthe originalon 2015-01-07.Retrieved2014-09-21.
- ^"How do I Receive the Evergreen Radio Reading Service?".wtbbl.org.Archived fromthe originalon 20 February 2012.Retrieved12 January2022.
- ^Spitzer, Judith (January 15, 2015)."Spokane Public Radio's project on fast track for completion".Spokane Journal of Business.RetrievedSeptember 27,2022.
External links
[edit]- Spokane Public Radio's website
- Facility details for Facility ID 61942 (KPBX-FM)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- KPBX-FMinNielsen Audio's FM station database
Other station data
- Facility details for Facility ID 77383 (KIBX)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- KIBXinNielsen Audio's FM station database
- Facility details for Facility ID 172927 (KLGG)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- KLGGinNielsen Audio's FM station database
- Facility details for Facility ID 173719 (KOMQ)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- KOMQinNielsen Audio's FM station database
- Facility details for Facility ID 173880 (KPBG)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- KPBGinNielsen Audio's FM station database
- Facility details for Facility ID 173803 (KPBW)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- KPBWinNielsen Audio's FM station database
- Facility details for Facility ID 173815 (KTWP)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- KTWPinNielsen Audio's FM station database
- Facility details for Facility ID 164128 (KXJO)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- KXJOinNielsen Audio's FM station database