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KBCH

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Coordinates: 44°59′27″N 123°58′45″W / 44.99083°N 123.97917°W / 44.99083; -123.97917
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KBCH
Currently silent
Frequency1400 kHz
Programming
FormatAdult standards; news–talk
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
  • Yaquina Bay Communications
  • (Pacific West Broadcasting, Inc.)
KCRF-FM, KNCU, KNPT, KWDP, KYTE
History
First air date
May 27, 1955[1]
Former frequencies
  • 1400 kHz (1955–1960)
  • 1380 kHz (1960–1981)
Call sign meaning
Beach[2]
Technical information[3]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID50004
ClassC
Power1,000 watts (unlimited)
Transmitter coordinates
44°59′27″N 123°58′45″W / 44.99083°N 123.97917°W / 44.99083; -123.97917
Links
Public license information
Websitewww.kbcham.com

KBCH (1400 AM) was a radio station licensed to serve Lincoln City, Oregon, United States. The station, which began broadcasting in 1955, was owned by Yaquina Bay Communications and the broadcast license is held by Pacific West Broadcasting, Inc. The station ceased operations in 2023.

Programming

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KBCH broadcast a mix of adult standards music and news/talk that features programing from ABC News Radio and Westwood One's America's Best Music format.[4] KBCH aired local news, health updates, a tradio program, plus syndicated talk shows hosted by Jim Bohannon and Lars Larson.[5] The KBCH music mix included such artists as Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Nat "King" Cole, and The Carpenters.[6]

The station also aired high school sports featuring the Taft High School Tigers, National Basketball Association games as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers radio network,[7] and University of Oregon Ducks football and men's basketball.[8]

History

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The beginning

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This station began regular broadcast operations on May 27, 1955, with 250 watts of round-the-clock power on a frequency of 1400 kHz, licensed to serve Oceanlake, Oregon.[1] The station was initially owned by Lincoln Electronics, Inc.[1] Robert G. Beattie was named president of the company in January 1956.[9] KBCH was the second radio station, after KNPT (1310 AM, Newport), established in Lincoln County, Oregon.[6] The station requested the call sign KBCH to represent the "20 Miracle Miles" of beaches in Lincoln County, including Moolack Beach and Beverly Beach State Park.[2]

Move to 1380

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KBCH was acquired by Yaquina Radio, Inc., on November 16, 1959.[10] The new owners got authorization from the FCC to change frequencies to 1380 kHz and increase daytime power to 1,000 watts but at the sacrifice of becoming a daytime-only station.[10] Further changes were in store as, in March 1965, the station changed its legal community of license from Oceanlake to Lincoln City, Oregon.[11][12]

Yaquina Radio, Inc., sold KBCH to Lincoln City Broadcasting, Inc., in a transaction consummated on March 1, 1974.[13] The new owners maintained KBCH's middle of the road contemporary music format.[13]

In December 1978, Lincoln City Broadcasting, Inc., reached an agreement to sell this station to Brown Broadcasting Enterprises, Inc. The transaction was consummated on February 12, 1979.[14]

Back to 1400

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The new owners filed an application with the FCC in April 1980 to change the station's broadcast frequency from 1380 back to 1400 kHz and restore nighttime service with 250 watts of power.[15] The FCC granted the station a new construction permit that authorized the changes on March 26, 1981.[15] The station began licensed operation on 1400 kHz on August 4, 1981.[16]

In June 1986, Brown Broadcasting Enterprises, Inc., reached an agreement to sell this station to Matrix Media, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on August 4, 1986, and the transaction was consummated on September 19, 1986.[17] After Matrix Media, Inc., had fallen into bankruptcy, trustee Thomas A. Huntsberger arranged to sell the broadcast license for this station in January 1990 to Oceanlake Broadcasting Company, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on July 31, 1990, and the transaction was consummated on August 15, 1990.[18]

In April 1996, Oceanlake Broadcasting Company, Inc., contracted to sell this station to Q Media LLC. The deal was approved by the FCC on June 13, 1996, but the transaction was never consummated and control of KBCH remained with Oceanlake Broadcasting.[19] The company reached a new agreement to sell this station in September 1999, this time to Yaquina Bay Communications, Inc., as part of a two-station deal valued at $425,000.[20] The deal was approved by the FCC on October 27, 1999, and the transaction was consummated on August 8, 2000.[21] In October 2000, Yaquina Bay Communications, Inc., reached an agreement to transfer the KBCH broadcast license to Pacific West Broadcasting, Inc. The transfer was approved by the FCC on October 27, 2000, and the transaction was consummated on November 15, 2000.[22]

Shutdown

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KBCH, along with its sister stations (KNPT and KNCU in Newport, KYTE (licensed to broadcast to Independence but actually broadcasting from Otter Crest), KCRF-FM in Lincoln City, and KWDP in Waldport), shut down on December 31, 2023.[23] The closure followed the August foreclosure of the stations' Newport studios, which were sold to Oregon Coast Bank in a sheriff's sale on December 5.[23] Yaquina Bay Communications owed four years in unpaid back taxes (some $40,000) and over $400,000 in overdue loans to Oregon Coast Bank. This ended 75 years of broadcast service from these six radio stations. The co-owner of Yaquina Bay Communications, David Miller cited over 50% reduction in advertising revenue during and after the COVID pandemic as the reason for the inability to pay the outstanding debts.[24]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Directory of AM and FM Stations and Market Data for the United States". 1956 Broadcasting Yearbook-Marketbook. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1956. p. 256.
  2. ^ a b James Eugene Brooks, ed. (1961). "Communications". The Oregon Almanac and Book of Facts. Binford & Mort. p. 539. [...] often the call letters are abbreviations for the city or county in which the station is located. Station KBCH in Oceanlake is a notable exception representing the 20 Miracle Miles along the beach from Otis to Otter Crest in Lincoln County.
  3. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KBCH". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ^ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
  5. ^ "Radio Station Search Results: Oregon". LarsLarson.com. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
  6. ^ a b "Who We Are". KBCH 1400 official website. Yaquina Bay Communications. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
  7. ^ "List of Stations". The Official Site of the Portland Trail Blazers. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
  8. ^ "OSN Radio Affiliates". GoDucks.com - The University of Oregon Official Athletics Web Site. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
  9. ^ Bundy, June (February 4, 1956). "Vox Jox". Billboard. p. 50.
  10. ^ a b "Directory of AM and FM Radio stations in the U.S.". 1960 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1960. p. A-313.
  11. ^ "Directory of AM and FM Radio stations in the U.S.". 1967 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1967. p. B-132.
  12. ^ "Actions of March 28". Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. 1965. p. 109.
  13. ^ a b "Directory of Radio Stations in the United States and Canada". Broadcasting Yearbook 1979. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1979. p. C-181.
  14. ^ "Application Search Details (BAL-19781221EC)". FCC Media Bureau. February 12, 1979.
  15. ^ a b "Application Search Details (BP-19800425AF)". FCC Media Bureau. March 26, 1981.
  16. ^ "Application Search Details (BL-19810709AB)". FCC Media Bureau. August 4, 1981.
  17. ^ "Application Search Details (BAL-19860617EB)". FCC Media Bureau. September 19, 1986.
  18. ^ "Application Search Details (BAL-19900105EA)". FCC Media Bureau. August 15, 1990.
  19. ^ "Application Search Details (BAL-19960412EC)". FCC Media Bureau. June 13, 1996.
  20. ^ Holmes, Alisa (October 4, 1999). "Changing Hands - 1999-10-04". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012.
  21. ^ "Application Search Details (BAL-19990913GE)". FCC Media Bureau. August 8, 2000.
  22. ^ "Application Search Details (BAL-20001002AHR)". FCC Media Bureau. November 15, 2000.
  23. ^ a b Smith, Quinton (December 31, 2023). "Five longtime Lincoln County radio stations will sign off at midnight as owner closes shop, lays off employees". YachatsNews.com. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  24. ^ Heinbach, Michael (January 4, 2024). "YBC announces radio station closures owner thanks community for support". Lincoln County Leader. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
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