KISN (Portland)
Encyclopedia
KISN was an AM radio station licensed for Vancouver, Washington
but based in Portland, Oregon
, broadcasting on 910 kHz and licensed for 5,000 directional watts. During the 1960s and early 1970s, KISN was not only the number one rated rock station in the market (the station followed a Top 50 playlist), but at times also rated as Portland's most popular radio station. Originally KVAN, it flipped format to Top 40 and became KISN from 1959 until 1976, when the FCC
forced it to shut down.
s and was co-owned with KVAN-TV, a TV station under construction for channel 21.
When KVAN was a country and western station in the early 1950s, Willie Nelson
was one of the DJs. He financed his own first single, "No Place For Me"; the record was backed with "Lumberjack" written by Leon Payne, who was also a DJ. KVAN was sold by Sheldon F. Sackett to Don W. Burden, and control transferred to Burden's company, Star Broadcasting, Inc.
KISN started broadcasting at 6 a.m. on May 1, 1959. In the previous 24 hours before its incarnation, the station continuously played "Teenage Bill of Rights" by Robby John and the Seven-Teens, which featured the words "Should we start a revolution? (Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!)". The new station continued broadcasting from above a furniture store in Vancouver until its Kisn Corner studio at West Burnside and 10th Streets in Portland started service at 6 a.m. on November 28, 1959. Though the FCC continued to recognize the station as being located in Vancouver, the original transmitter was actually located in North Portland at Smith Lake. It was later relocated to 4615 NE 158th Avenue east of the Portland Airport with wattage expanded to 5,000 directional watts.
Within one year after beginning operations, KISN was Portland's top rated station. During one rating book in 1963, the station held a whopping 86% of the audience. Their promotions included a billboard at the airport exit proclaiming "While you've been away, we've been KISN your wife!" Among the many station jingles used was "Yours truly KISN radio." Later jingles included "The Mighty 91", "Good Guy Territory", and the short-lived "Have a happy day!"
KISN also offered Portland the unique KISN Carol Tree, whose red, blue, and green bulbs flashed to the music being played, and the KISN Aerocar, a unique combination car and plane used for traffic reports.
The station had numerous problems with the Federal Communications Commission
over the years, including problems with city of license
identification
and the studio location, which was mostly caused by Burden's trying to associate KISN as more of a station connected to Portland rather than the city's neighbor across the Columbia River
. Kisn Corner was considered a remote studio. Overnight and weekend programming, plus some weekday newscasts, usually took place at the transmitter.
In 1970, following a complaint from disgruntled former disc jockey Paul Oscar Anderson, the FCC refused to renew Star Broadcasting's broadcast licenses, citing political partisanship in the U.S. Senate campaign of Mark Hatfield
on KISN. After deciding to issue the licenses again in 1973, the FCC refused renewal again in 1975. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case in May 1976, the FCC denied KISN's request to stay on the air, and the FCC was on hand to insure that KISN was taken off the air at the end of September 2, 1976, going so far as to require that the station broadcast their final program directly from the transmitter site. Star stations in Omaha and Indianapolis also went off the air.
After evening air personality Dave "Records" Stone said "Good night from the KISN Good Guys", the station was not even allowed to complete its last song, the Supremes "Someday We'll Be Together
", going silent at 12:01 AM PDT.
Several well-known radio personalities passed through the KISN studios including "The Real" Don Steele
, who in 1964 ran a presidential campaign from Portland's Steel Bridge
wearing an Uncle Sam
costume, Tiger Tom Murphy, later known as The World Famous Tom Murphy, who usually handled evenings, Mike Phillips
, who later programmed stations in Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, Ken Chase
, who owned a nightclub called The Chase and was also the manager of its house band, The Kingsmen
, Roger Hart
, who managed Paul Revere and the Raiders, Australian-born Rod "Kangaroo" Muir, who did mornings and would later go on to help launch Australia's Triple M Network, Tom Michaels, long-time spokesman for Fred Meyer
stores (son Jeff Michaels was also a disc jockey, who went on to anchor network news at ABC-TV in New York), Roger W. Morgan, Buddy Scott
, newsman Whitey Coker, Bob Noonan, Uncle Don Wright, Dave "Records" Stone, a local boy influenced by Steele, and Pat Pattie, who save for a brief period in the early 70s was the all-night personality from 1962 to the end. All of his shows were broadcast from the transmitter.
In the Spring of 2009, surviving staff members celebrated 50 years since KISN first went on the air. Stone (AKA Dave Rogaway) continues to keep KISN and Portland history alive with his popular daily internet production called "The Stumptown Blogger. He is also attempting to revive the station on the internet."
at Rock River, Wyoming
was KVAN (FM) for a few months in 2005. Since 2006, KVAN
has been 1560 kHz at Burbank, Washington
. KVAN-FM
has been using its callsign since 2007 for 92.1 MHz at Pilot Rock, Oregon
.
, started broadcasting golden oldies
with the same "kissin'" pronunciation of the station name. Dave "Records" Stone, the last of the original KISN disc jockeys, broadcast a Saturday specialty oldies
program that included air checks from the original station plus unlimited presentations of "forgotten 45s" by his friend and assistant, Dirty Dave the Record Slave. The FM station (now KYCH-FM) changed to an adult hits
format in 2005. The oldies format would return to KKSN-AM until its final demise in 2007. The last moments of Stone's original 1976 farewell - "Good Night, from the KISN Good Guys!" - was used to close this station.
The call letters KISN were later issued to two different stations (now known as KZHT
and KNRS) in Salt Lake City, Utah
, and then to the current KISN (FM)
at Belgrade, Montana
.
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
but based in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, broadcasting on 910 kHz and licensed for 5,000 directional watts. During the 1960s and early 1970s, KISN was not only the number one rated rock station in the market (the station followed a Top 50 playlist), but at times also rated as Portland's most popular radio station. Originally KVAN, it flipped format to Top 40 and became KISN from 1959 until 1976, when the FCC
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
forced it to shut down.
History
KVAN came on the air in 1939 on 880 kHz and moved to 910 kHz in 1941, owned by Sheldon F. Sackett; by 1958 it was licensed for 1,000 wattWatt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s and was co-owned with KVAN-TV, a TV station under construction for channel 21.
When KVAN was a country and western station in the early 1950s, Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
was one of the DJs. He financed his own first single, "No Place For Me"; the record was backed with "Lumberjack" written by Leon Payne, who was also a DJ. KVAN was sold by Sheldon F. Sackett to Don W. Burden, and control transferred to Burden's company, Star Broadcasting, Inc.
KISN started broadcasting at 6 a.m. on May 1, 1959. In the previous 24 hours before its incarnation, the station continuously played "Teenage Bill of Rights" by Robby John and the Seven-Teens, which featured the words "Should we start a revolution? (Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!)". The new station continued broadcasting from above a furniture store in Vancouver until its Kisn Corner studio at West Burnside and 10th Streets in Portland started service at 6 a.m. on November 28, 1959. Though the FCC continued to recognize the station as being located in Vancouver, the original transmitter was actually located in North Portland at Smith Lake. It was later relocated to 4615 NE 158th Avenue east of the Portland Airport with wattage expanded to 5,000 directional watts.
Within one year after beginning operations, KISN was Portland's top rated station. During one rating book in 1963, the station held a whopping 86% of the audience. Their promotions included a billboard at the airport exit proclaiming "While you've been away, we've been KISN your wife!" Among the many station jingles used was "Yours truly KISN radio." Later jingles included "The Mighty 91", "Good Guy Territory", and the short-lived "Have a happy day!"
KISN also offered Portland the unique KISN Carol Tree, whose red, blue, and green bulbs flashed to the music being played, and the KISN Aerocar, a unique combination car and plane used for traffic reports.
The station had numerous problems with the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
over the years, including problems with city of license
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
identification
Station identification
Station identification is the practice of radio or television stations or networks identifying themselves on air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name...
and the studio location, which was mostly caused by Burden's trying to associate KISN as more of a station connected to Portland rather than the city's neighbor across the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
. Kisn Corner was considered a remote studio. Overnight and weekend programming, plus some weekday newscasts, usually took place at the transmitter.
In 1970, following a complaint from disgruntled former disc jockey Paul Oscar Anderson, the FCC refused to renew Star Broadcasting's broadcast licenses, citing political partisanship in the U.S. Senate campaign of Mark Hatfield
Mark Hatfield
Mark Odom Hatfield was an American politician and educator from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served for 30 years as a United States Senator from Oregon, and also as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee...
on KISN. After deciding to issue the licenses again in 1973, the FCC refused renewal again in 1975. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case in May 1976, the FCC denied KISN's request to stay on the air, and the FCC was on hand to insure that KISN was taken off the air at the end of September 2, 1976, going so far as to require that the station broadcast their final program directly from the transmitter site. Star stations in Omaha and Indianapolis also went off the air.
After evening air personality Dave "Records" Stone said "Good night from the KISN Good Guys", the station was not even allowed to complete its last song, the Supremes "Someday We'll Be Together
Someday We'll Be Together
"Someday We'll Be Together" is a song made popular as the last of twelve number-one singles for Diana Ross & the Supremes on the Motown label. It is the final Supremes song featuring Diana Ross, who left the group for a solo career in January 1970...
", going silent at 12:01 AM PDT.
Several well-known radio personalities passed through the KISN studios including "The Real" Don Steele
Don Steele
Don Steele, born Donald Steele Revert , was one of the most popular disc jockeys in the United States, from the middle of the 1960s until his retirement in May 1997...
, who in 1964 ran a presidential campaign from Portland's Steel Bridge
Steel Bridge
The Steel Bridge is a through truss, double lift bridge across the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States. Its lower deck carries railroad and bicycle/pedestrian traffic, while the upper deck carries road traffic and light rail , making the bridge one of the most multimodal in the world...
wearing an Uncle Sam
Uncle Sam
Uncle Sam is a common national personification of the American government originally used during the War of 1812. He is depicted as a stern elderly man with white hair and a goatee beard...
costume, Tiger Tom Murphy, later known as The World Famous Tom Murphy, who usually handled evenings, Mike Phillips
Mike Phillips
Mike Phillips may refer to:* Mike Phillips * Mike Phillips * Mike Phillips * Mike Phillips , Montana State Representative...
, who later programmed stations in Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, Ken Chase
Ken Chase
Kendall Fay Chase was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for three teams between 1936 and 1943. Listed at 6' 2" 210 lb., Chase batted and threw left-handed...
, who owned a nightclub called The Chase and was also the manager of its house band, The Kingsmen
The Kingsmen
The Kingsmen is a 1960s garage rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States. They are best known for their 1963 recording of Richard Berry's "Louie Louie", which held the #2 spot on the Billboard charts for six weeks...
, Roger Hart
Roger Hart
Roger A. Hart is a Professor in the Environmental Psychology Ph.D. Program of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and the co-director of the Children’s Environments Research Group.-Biography:...
, who managed Paul Revere and the Raiders, Australian-born Rod "Kangaroo" Muir, who did mornings and would later go on to help launch Australia's Triple M Network, Tom Michaels, long-time spokesman for Fred Meyer
Fred Meyer
Fred Meyer, Inc., is a chain of hypermarkets founded in 1922 in Portland, Oregon, by Fred G. Meyer. The company was one of the pioneers of one-stop shopping, eventually combining a complete grocery supermarket with a drugstore, clothing store, shoe store, fine jewelers, home decor store, home...
stores (son Jeff Michaels was also a disc jockey, who went on to anchor network news at ABC-TV in New York), Roger W. Morgan, Buddy Scott
Buddy Scott
Kenneth "Buddy" Scott was an American blues guitarist.Scott was born in Goodman, Mississippi, Mississippi, and came from a family of Chicago blues musicians. Both of his brothers, vocalist Howard and guitarist Walter, played locally, and his son is Kenneth "Hollywood" Scott. He learned to play...
, newsman Whitey Coker, Bob Noonan, Uncle Don Wright, Dave "Records" Stone, a local boy influenced by Steele, and Pat Pattie, who save for a brief period in the early 70s was the all-night personality from 1962 to the end. All of his shows were broadcast from the transmitter.
In the Spring of 2009, surviving staff members celebrated 50 years since KISN first went on the air. Stone (AKA Dave Rogaway) continues to keep KISN and Portland history alive with his popular daily internet production called "The Stumptown Blogger. He is also attempting to revive the station on the internet."
Later stations with similar identities
The 910 kHz frequency at Vancouver, Washington was reused by another station (KKSN) starting around August 1980; , identifying itself as KISN and playing an oldies format. That station has had various call signs, briefly regaining the KKSN moniker in 2005 before it became KTRO in 2007.Other KVANs
1550 kHz, also at Vancouver, Washington, carried the KVAN callsigns at least twice, from 1981 to 1989 and 1991 to 2003, and is now KKOV. 106.5 KLMIKLMI
KLMI is a radio station licensed to Rock River, Wyoming, USA. It carries a blend of the best music from the 80s, 90s, and now. The station serves Albany County, Wyoming. The station is currently owned by Greeley Broadcasting Corporation operating on a LMA by Wolf Creek Radio Broadcasting...
at Rock River, Wyoming
Rock River, Wyoming
Rock River is a town in Albany County, Wyoming, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 235.-Geography:Rock River is located at ....
was KVAN (FM) for a few months in 2005. Since 2006, KVAN
KVAN (AM)
KVAN is a radio station broadcasting a News/Talk format. Located near Burbank, Washington, USA, the station serves the Tri-Cities area. The station is owned by Compadres, LLC.-History:...
has been 1560 kHz at Burbank, Washington
Burbank, Washington
Burbank is a census-designated place in Walla Walla County, Washington, United States, where the Snake River meets the Columbia. The population was 3,291 at the 2010 census. Named for Luther Burbank, the city is located just east of Pasco and Kennewick, across the Snake and Columbia Rivers,...
. KVAN-FM
KVAN-FM
KUMA-FM is a radio station licensed to serve Pilot Rock, Oregon, USA. The station, established in 2006, is owned by the Capps Broadcast Group and the broadcast license for this station is held by UMA, LLC.-Programming:...
has been using its callsign since 2007 for 92.1 MHz at Pilot Rock, Oregon
Pilot Rock, Oregon
Pilot Rock is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. The population was 1,532 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Pendleton–Hermiston Micropolitan Statistical Area. The main industries are timber and agriculture...
.
Other KISNs
In 1988, KKSN-FM, 97.1 MHz at Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, started broadcasting golden oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
with the same "kissin'" pronunciation of the station name. Dave "Records" Stone, the last of the original KISN disc jockeys, broadcast a Saturday specialty oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
program that included air checks from the original station plus unlimited presentations of "forgotten 45s" by his friend and assistant, Dirty Dave the Record Slave. The FM station (now KYCH-FM) changed to an adult hits
Adult hits
Adult hits is a radio format, popular in the early 2000s, that does not adhere to a specific music genre, but instead draws from a wider playlist...
format in 2005. The oldies format would return to KKSN-AM until its final demise in 2007. The last moments of Stone's original 1976 farewell - "Good Night, from the KISN Good Guys!" - was used to close this station.
The call letters KISN were later issued to two different stations (now known as KZHT
KZHT
KZHT is a Top 40 radio station broadcasting to the Salt Lake City, Utah area. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications as one of six radio stations in this market.-Station History:...
and KNRS) in Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, and then to the current KISN (FM)
KISN (FM)
KISN is a radio station licensed to serve Belgrade, Montana. The station is owned by Townsquare Media, licensed to Gap Broadcasting Bozeman License, LLC. It airs a Top 40 music format....
at Belgrade, Montana
Belgrade, Montana
Belgrade is a city in Gallatin County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,728 at the 2000 census.The original townsite of Belgrade was established and filed in the Gallatin County Clerk and Recorder's Office by Thomas B. Quaw, a businessman from the midwest, in July 1881...
.
External links
- KISN AM 91-wonderful Tribute Page (1959-76) — a lot of text about 910 collected on one page
- Time Machine: May 6, 2006 episode — features first-day airchecks and other KISN recollections
- Portland Top 40 Chronology — mostly about KISN, including jingles, pamphlets, and airchecks