KJHK

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KJHK
KJHK Logo
City of license Lawrence
Broadcast area Eastern Kansas, including parts of Wichita, Topeka and Kansas City
Slogan The Sound Alternative
First air date 1956 (KUOK 630 AM)
1975 (KJHK 90.7 FM)
Frequency 90.7
Format College Radio (Various)
Power 2900 Watts
Callsign meaning The Jayhawk, mascot of the University of Kansas
Former callsigns KUOK
Owner KU students
Website KJHK

KJHK 90.7 FM is a campus radio station, located in Lawrence, Kansas at the University of Kansas. On December 3, 1994, the station became one of the first radio station to broadcast a live, continuous stream over internet radio. It currently broadcasts at 2900 watts, with a broadcast area covering Lawrence, parts of Wichita, Topeka and Kansas City. The station is overseen by the school union, but completely run by KU students.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] 1950s-1970s

KJHK roots go back to 1956, beginning as KUOK on AM 630 and even had Wilt Chamberlain hosting his own show. By the 1970s the popularity of the station was outgrowing its limited range and on October 5, 1975 the FCC gave final permission to broadcast at 90.7 megahertz and the new call letters "KJHK". Steve Doocy played the first song at 12:25 P.M. broadcasting at 9.9 watts.[1] In 1978 a bored staffer wrote a fake news report claiming a nuclear reactor explosion destroyed Waterloo, Iowa killing 15,000 people. Another staffer found the report and read it on air. The news was picked up by other organizations causing panic and was mentioned that night on the CBS Evening News by Walter Cronkite on how a single radio station "blowed up" Waterloo.[2] The writer of the story was suspended for one semester before being promoted to news director the next fall.[3]

[edit] 1980s

In 1987 KJHK is granted a power increase to 100 watts. In 1988 the FCC fined the station after an excited DJ said "Fuck you Billy Tubbs!" multiple times after the KU men's basketball title game against Oklahoma. This led the school administration to remove music with expletives. The administration also prevented Ku Klux Klan members to come on the air for a show on race citing security issues. Angry students protested what they saw as a censoring of free speech with some going as far as to make anonymous death threats.[4]

[edit] 1990s

On Dec. 3, 1994, the station became one of the first in the nation to broadcast a live, 24-hour signal on the internet.[5] In 1995 KJHK changed its tagline "The Sound Alternative" which it started using in 1976 to "The Hawk" because of alternative's association with top 40 music until reverting back to "The Sound Alternative" in 2000. The station increased its signal to 2900 watts in 1998.

[edit] 2000s

KJHK nearly closed down but in 2004 KU Memorial Union agreed to oversee the station after the William Allen White School of Journalism ended funding after its 28 years of supervision. In 2005 KJHK celebrated its 30th anniversary by bringing a diverse group of artists to Lawrence such as Mates of State, LCD Soundsystem and Chuck D of Public Enemy.[6] Later that year the police were again called to KJ because of an amputee, with his severed foot in a bucket of formaldehyde, came to hang out at the station.[7] [8]

The station currently has over 100 volunteers and will soon move to a new location inside the Kansas Memorial Union.

[edit] Awards and achievements

  • Winner of CMJ's 2006 "Most Improved Station."[11]
  • Nominated for the 2007 PLUG Award for "Best College/Non-Commercial Radio Station Of The Year."[12]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Sound Alternative", KU History.com (English). Retrieved on March 26, 2007.
  2. ^ Alternative Flashback (English). Retrieved on March 26, 2007.
  3. ^ 30 years of KJHK: Dave Grissom (English). Retrieved on March 26, 2007.
  4. ^ "Sound Alternative", KU History.com (English). Retrieved on March 26, 2007.
  5. ^ KJHK turns 30 years as the Sound Alternative (English). Retrieved on March 26, 2007.
  6. ^ KJHK hosting 30th anniversary 'birthday crawl' (English). Retrieved on March 26, 2007.
  7. ^ Amputee happy to be reunited with foot (English). Retrieved on March 26, 2007.
  8. ^ 5:13 Monday, October 2006 : A Farewell Interview To General Manager Andy Dierks (English). Retrieved on March 26, 2007.
  9. ^ KJHK student radio station wins 12 awards from Kansas Association of Broadcasters (English). Retrieved on March 26, 2007.
  10. ^ 14 KU students on KJHK radio staff earn state broadcasting awards (English). Retrieved on March 26, 2007.
  11. ^ CMJ College Radio Awards Winners (English). Retrieved on March 26, 2007.
  12. ^ KJHK Nominated for PLUG Award (English). Retrieved on March 26, 2007.

[edit] External links

FM radio stations in the Kansas City media market

By frequency: 88.5 | 89.3 | 90.1 | 90.7 | 90.9 | 91.5 | 91.9 | 92.3 | 93.3 | 94.1 | 94.9 | 95.7 | 96.1 | 96.5 | 97.3 | 97.7 | 98.1 | 98.9 | 99.7 | 100.1 | 100.7 | 101.1 | 102.1 | 103.3 | 104.3 | 105.1 | 105.5 | 105.9 | 106.5 | 107.3 | 107.7

By call sign: KANU | KBEQ | KCCV | KCFX | KCHZ | KCJK | KCKC | KCMO | KCUR | KCXM | KFKF | KJHK | KKFI | KKJO | KKWK | KLJC | KLRQ | KLZR | KMAJ | KMJK | KMXV | KMZU | KPOW | KPRS | KQRC | KRBZ | KTBG | KUDL | KWJC | KYYS | WDAF

See also: Kansas City (FM) (AM)

Kansas Radio Markets
Wichita (AM) (FM) · Kansas City (AM) (FM) · Pittsburg · Topeka
See also: List of radio stations in Kansas and List of United States radio markets
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