KUGN
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| KUGN | |
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| City of license | Eugene, Oregon |
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| Broadcast area | Eugene and Vicinity |
| Branding | News Talk 590 |
| Slogan | Accurate News Stimulating Talk |
| Frequency | 590 (kHz) |
| First air date | July 4, 1946 |
| Format | News/Talk |
| Power | 5,000 watts |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 12506 |
| Callsign meaning | e U G e N e |
| Owner | Cumulus Media (Cumulus Licensing, LLC) |
| Sister stations | KSCR (AM) |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | www.kugn.com |
KUGN (590 AM, "News Talk 590") is a radio station primarily broadcasting talk radio. Licensed to the city of Eugene, Oregon, it serves the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by Cumulus Media, and affiliated with ABC Radio News. KUGN is the flagship radio station in the Oregon Sports Network, and broadcasts University of Oregon football and basketball games. On weekdays, KUGN airs Dr. Laura, Clark Howard, Sean Hannity, and Bill O'Reilly, among others.
KUGN first took the air in the summer of 1946 as the second radio station in Eugene, after KORE. KUGN was originally affiliated with the ABC radio network, but switched to NBC during the mid-1950s. The station dropped the longtime NBC affiliation for CBS in December 1977.
During its first four decades, KUGN was best known for its eclectic, personable announcers, as well as for their longevity. The careers of such veterans as Duke Young, Dick Cross, Russ Doran, Skip Hathaway, Webb Russell, Wendy Ray and Dale "Uncle Fuzzy" Reed spanned the period from the late 1950s to the early 1970s.
The "old" KUGN, which Ray unabashedly called "the best radio station in the world," is best remembered for its popular "Morning Show." Reed, KUGN's resident Renaissance Man, teamed with Ray and news director Fred Webb for a much beloved program that was a "must hear" in the Eugene area throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
"The Morning Show" entertained "The Listener" with such lighthearted semi-regular features such as Ray's "Ball Score Boogie," the "Poet's Nook" starring Webb as the high-buttoned poetry devotee "Charles," and "Gridpute," a tongue-in-cheek Friday morning football preview featuring Ray and a clanking, cantankerous "computer." Ray and Webb also teamed up on Eugene's top-rated morning newscasts, twice hourly between 5:30 and 10 a.m. D.J.-anchor "Uncle Fuzzy" knit it all together with his wry commentary and savvy music choices (adult contemporary with a fair amount of jazz), delivered in a voice that was airwave-polished, yet that of Everyman.
In 1957, KUGN became the first flagship station of the University of Oregon sports radio network, with play-by-play announcer John Tasnady serving five seasons as the "Voice of the Ducks." Ray, already a veteran sportscaster, took the microphone in 1962 and called Duck football and basketball until the end of the 1969 football season. Ray, who also served as public address announcer for Oregon track and field meets, returned for one season (1974-75) as KUGN's football and basketball announcer.
Other KUGN "voices" of University of Oregon sports were Mike Guldager (1969-73), Bud Sobel (1973-74), Ralph Petti (football, 1975), Mike Stone (1975-80), Warren Swain (1980-82), Bill Johnson (1982-84) and Hal Ramey (1984-87).
KUGN lost the broadcast rights to Duck sports in 1987, when the University of Oregon athletic department set up its own in-house radio network. The university put the network's flagship status up for bidding, and local rival KPNW won out over KUGN. Eight years later, KUGN regained the broadcast rights to Duck sports. Play-by-play announcer Jerry Allen, employed by the U of O athletic department, moved from KPNW to KUGN at that time. Allen, a veteran among Northwest sportscasters, will begin his 22nd season as "Voice of the Ducks" in the fall of 2008.
[edit] Program Schedule
Weekdays
12:00a Jerry Doyle
2:00a Doug Stephan
5:30a KUGN Morning News with Jerry Allen and Al Kline
9:00a Dr. Laura
12:00 Paul Harvey Noon Report
12:15p Sean Hannity
3:00p Bill O'Reilly
5:00p KUGN 5 O'clock News
6:00p The Writer's Block with George Schroeder and Justin Myers
7:00p Clark Howard
9:00p Rusty Humphries
[edit] External links
- Query the FCC's AM station database for KUGN
- Radio Locator Information on KUGN
- Query Arbitron's AM station database for KUGN
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