KGRG (AM)

KENU 1330 AM

KENU-AM is 500 watt, Enumclaw, Washington AM college radio station based out of Green River Community College. A class can be taken (Journalism 120) to teach the digital side of radio at GRCC, where students can become on-air djs for the station as well as be involved in many aspects of the radio station. The station is called "KGRG-1", which plays sister station 89.9 KGRG-FM's hits of the past.

History of KENU

Licensed in 1982, KENU was a country music station station at 1330 AM run by a series of local owners in Enumclaw, Washinton. The station went off the air in 1996 due to financial distress and was put up for sale. The Green River Foundation of Auburn, Washington purchased the station in 1996, so that Green River Community College students would have internship possibilities at the country music station. Relatively few students wanted to participate in a country music station internship, so the general manager of the GRCC radio stations, Tom Evans Krause, okayed the change to a Electronic Dance Hits format as KENU "NU Music, Pure Dance". In 2004, KENU program director Karl Koning and music director Jess Flarity segued KENU to The Pulse 1330, which focused mainly on Underground Electronica including Trance, House and DnB. It was one of the few radio stations in the U.S. to play electronic dance music (EDM), and was the only AM station in the US to do so. In September 2006, KENU flipped from its Electronica format to College Alternative Gold as "KGRG-1" playing tracks that were formerally played on legendary sister station KGRG in the 80s and early 90's. Station management felt the EDM format had peaked in listernership and GRCC student involvement. The pairing of KGRG-1 and "Today's Rock" 89.9 FM KGRG provide a unique window into 30 years - and counting - of college underground alternative rock, a broadcast offering unique in American radio.

External link

• KGRG1's website