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KGRG (AM)

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KGRG
Broadcast areaEnumclaw/Auburn, Washington
Frequency1330 (kHz)
BrandingKGRG1
Programming
FormatClassic Alternative
Ownership
OwnerGreen River Community College
History
Call sign meaning
Green River Gators
Technical information
ClassD
ERP500 Watts (day)
26 Watts (night)
Links
Websitehttp://www.kgrg1.com

KGRG (1330 AM) is a 500 Watt AM college radio station transmitting from Enumclaw, Washington, owned and operated by Green River Community College in Auburn, Washington. The station is called "KGRG1", which has a Classic Alternative format. Prior to KGRG1, the station was a dance music outlet known as "Pulse 1330".

KGRG's night time signal reception is affected mainly by KLBS, but also receives minor interference from CJYM and KWKW. This makes KGRG difficult to receive outside of Enumclaw, Auburn and Buckley, however KGRG1 has been reported at night in California, Kansas, Oregon and even as far away as Finland.

The class

The "Journalism 120" class can be taken to learn the digital side of radio at Green River, where students can become on-air DJs for the station as well as be involved in many aspects of the radio station. It is recognized as the premier radio school in the Seattle Metro area and the Pacific Northwest.

History

1330 KENU - Plateau Country

Licensed April 28, 1982, KENU was a country music station at 1330 AM run by a series of local owners in Enumclaw, Washington. KENU was very involved with the local community and the station carried a local morning show, Enumclaw High School's football games, and other local programming along with airing Dial Global's Mainstream Country 24-hour network.

In 1988, KENU changed call signs to KQZQ for 23 days[1], but switched back to KENU due to protest from community members.

In early 1996, KENU, then part of the ill-fated "Country Gold Network", went silent due to financial distress and was put up for sale.

In November 1996, The Green River Foundation purchased the silent radio station, so that Green River Community College students would have internship possibilities at the country music station. The studio was moved into the Enumclaw GRCC campus and KENU went back on the air as "Plateau Country". They tried to operate KENU as a commercial radio station, but relatively few students ever participated in the country station internship.

During the summer of 2000, the KENU studios were relocated to Green River's Auburn Campus. In 2001, the general manager of GRCC's radio stations, Tom Evans Krause, okayed a format change.[2] KENU went into stunting, airing the top dance hits of 1997, preparing for a new format.

1330 KENU - NU Music, Pure Dance

KENU was moved into the Student Center, next door to KGRG at the Auburn campus with a new digital on air studio. The new identity as KENU "NU Music, Pure Dance" was born, playing Today's Dance Hits, and was formatted very similarly to KNHC.

The new format was directed by Karl Koning (program director) and Jess Flarity (music director). With relatively few complaints from Country music fans in the Enumclaw area, the new Dance format gained a very positive response from the public. It was one of the few radio stations in the US to play electronic dance music (EDM), and was the first AM station in the US to do so since Beat Radio.

In January 2002, KENU began streaming online.[3]

In May 2004, Jess Flarity became the new program director and on-air DJ "Graz" became the new music director. Shortly after, the station began stunting, causing many people to think the station was undergoing a format change, but in fact the station was preparing for a new image campaign to boost awareness of KENU at the school and in the community as well as slightly refocusing the music format.

Pulse 1330 - The Northwest's Underground Music Source

File:Pulse1330.gif
Pulse 1330

In June 2004, Flarity and Graz remolded KENU into an underground radio exposé project which became known as Pulse 1330. Listeners were greeted with a new logo, new jingles, and the playlist was totally revamped. They quickly gained a huge presence in the Seattle party scene[4], despite the fact that their signal was barely audible in the downtown Seattle area. Even though Pulse 1330 broadcasted over 1330 AM KENU in Enumclaw, their main focus was their worldwide online presence as an internet radio station.

At first, Pulse 1330 focused mainly on Trance but as time went on it started to play Underground Dance, House, DnB and Breakbeats as well as Rhythmic tracks from local artists (while KGRG played Rock tracks from local artists). Since the new station tended stayed away from the mainstream Dance Hits, Pulse 1330 became known as "The Northwest's Underground Music Source", which was their slogan up until their demise.

Pulse 1330 frequently had local DJs spinning on air, many of them well known in the local rave scene, and they also threw many LAN parties and other promotional events that featured Pulse DJs and Pulse music, but they were rarely seen at events on the GRCC campuses. The former show Non-Linear Parfait broke the station's record for the most calls in one show and paved the way for much of the strange programming that was heard on The Pulse.[5]

In 2006, only one student enrolled for the class during the summer, which rose to three students in the fall. The station management worked very hard to keep the format afloat, but the lack of involvement would have resulted in the class being dissolved for the year. This led to the untimely and unfortunate demise of Pulse 1330. The demise was a fate that some believe the Pulse simply didn't deserve.[6]

KGRG1 - The Alternative Past

In September 2006, The Northwest's Underground Music Source Pulse 1330 became The Alternative Past KGRG1 playing tracks that were formerly played on sister station KGRG in the 80s and early 90's. KGRG1 launched the new format with The Ramones.

In February 2007, the long standing KENU call sign was changed to KGRG to match their sister FM station and the new name.

The pairing of "The Alternative Past" 1330 AM KGRG1 and "Today's Rock" 89.9 FM KGRG provides a window into 30 years, and counting, of Alternative Rock.

Meanwhile, as a tribute to the late KENU & Pulse 1330, the format was resurrected as an internet radio station operated by Surge Radio, WDOS-FM, and several former fans of Pulse 1330. It features classic Pulse 1330 and KENU jingles, along with new ones, as well as familiar tracks and music of similar genres played by KENU and Pulse 1330.[7] The tribute station was shut down in August 2007 when Surge Radio was sold to XRQK Radio Networks.

Kentwood Football

Kentwood High School football games are broadcast when they have a game at French Field in Kent.

References

  1. ^ Call Sign History
  2. ^ http://www.greenriver.edu/TheCurrent/archive/2005/TheCurrent111805.pdf
  3. ^ NorthwestTekno - good news in the south end.. nu radio station
  4. ^ RadioInsight.com: Dance => Say goodbye to KENU/Enumclaw, Wash
  5. ^ MySpace.com - The Non-Linear Parfiat - 21 - Garçon - KENT, WASHINGTON - www.myspace.com/thenlp1330
  6. ^ http://www.greenriver.edu/TheCurrent/TheCurrent101306.pdf
  7. ^ The Pulse - A Greater Broadcasting Network Station
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