 | |
| Broadcast area | Walla Walla, Washington |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 107.7MHz |
| Branding | 107.7 HOT FM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Top 40 (CHR) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KCMB,KTEL,KTIX,KUMA,KUMA-FM,KWHT,KWRL | |
| History | |
First air date | October 1,1978 (as KUMA-FM) |
Former call signs | KUMA-FM (1978–1989) KSXM (1989–1993) KUMA-FM (1993–2010)[1] |
Call sign meaning | K W TheViNe (previous format) |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 57757 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 75,000watts |
| HAAT | 340 meters (1,120 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 45°35′27″N118°34′47″W / 45.59083°N 118.57972°W /45.59083; -118.57972 |
| Translator(s) | 95.3 K237DM (Walla Walla) 100.1 K261BH (Heppner) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | www |
KWVN-FM (107.7FM, "107.7 Hot FM") is a commercialradio stationlicensed to servePendleton, Oregon, United States. The station, originally launched in October 1978, is currently owned by Randolph and Debra McKone's Elkhorn Media Group and thebroadcast license is held by EMG2, LLC.
KWVN-FM broadcasts anadult hits music format to the greaterColumbia Basin area.[3] Notable syndicated programming includesAmerican Top 40 withRyan Seacrest on Sunday mornings.[4]
This station began regular broadcasting on October 1, 1978, broadcasting with 27,500watts on 107.7MHz asKUMA-FM, sister station toKUMA (1290 AM).[5] Under the ownership of the Pendleton Broadcasting Company, KUMA-FM aired a "bright and beautiful" music format.[5]
KUMA-FM was founded by Theodore A. "Ted" Smith and his wife Phyllis as part of Pendleton Broadcasting Company, a business that Ted Smith joined in 1955 after his service in theUnited States Navy.[6][7] In September 1988, Ted and Phyllis Smith applied to the FCC to transfer control of the Pendleton Broadcasting Company to Gregory A. Smith, their son.[8][9] The deal was approved by the FCC on November 18, 1988.[8] The younger Smith applied to the FCC for a new callsign and the station was assignedKSXM on August 1, 1989.[1] KSXM dropped most of the simulcast with the AM station and adopted aclassic rock music format.
In March 1993, Pendleton Broadcasting Company, Inc., reached an agreement to sell this station and sister stationKUMA-FM to Capps Broadcast Group's Round-Up Radio, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on July 1, 1993, and the transaction was consummated on the same day.[10] The station applied to the FCC for the return of its original callsign and this request was granted on September 24, 1993.[1]
On January 11, 2010, KUMA-FM changed theircall sign toKWVN-FM.[1] On January 27, 2010 KWVN-FM changed their format to adult hits, branded as "107.7 The Vine".
On February 2, 2015 KWVN-FM changed their format toTop 40 (CHR), branded as "107.7 Hot FM".
KWVN-FM today primarily targets the Walla Walla valley and Milton-Freewater, OR. Signal and geographic limitations from the current tower location make KWVN unsuitable to rebrand as a Tri-Cities area FM station without a booster service to fill in areas of Kennewick shielded by terrain.
Effective November 1, 2017, Capps Broadcast Group sold KWVN-FM and nine other broadcast properties to Elkhorn Media Group for $1.75 million.
KWVN-FM shares a studio building withsister stationsKTIX (1240 AM),KUMA (1290 AM), andKWHT (103.5 FM).[11] This multi-station facility is located at the west end ofEastern Oregon Regional Airport.[12][11] KWVN-FM broadcasts from a tower that originally served as thebroadcast tower forKTIX from 1941 to 2002.[9] It was removed from its original South Hill location and re-erected on Cabbage Hill for the FM station's use.[9]
KWVN-FM programming is also carried on multiplebroadcast translator stations to extend or improve the coverage area of the station.
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | Class | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K237DM | 95.3 FM | Walla Walla, Washington | 150562 | 115 | D | LMS |
| K261BH | 100.1 FM | Heppner, Oregon | 52138 | 48 | D | LMS |
The then-KUMA-FM translators made headlines in March 1994 when the FCC shut down a quarter-wattpirate radio station inCondon, Oregon, operated by Bill Roberts on the same frequency as one of the translator stations, causing interference.[13] Roberts, who ran the station from his bedroom with a focus on community news and local sports, believed the operation to be legal but agents from the FCC'sPortland, Oregon, field office informed him otherwise and ordered the shutdown.[13]
In 1963, he began KJDY Radio in John Day and in 1976, KUMA FM station in Pendleton.
[Gregory] Smith and his father Ted Smith used to own KUMA-FM and KUMA-AM [...] The old tower, however, eventually will be put to good use on Cabbage Hill, airing KUMA-FM -- also part of Capps Broadcast Group's Pendleton stations.
Roberts' FM station was operating at 100 megahertz, which in that part of the state is a translator frequency belonging to KUMA-FM in Pendleton[...]