I have a question about 97.1 Kissin' FM. I know the history of KKSN-AM (formerly 910AM, now 1520AM) thanks to Craig Adams, but I really what to know when 97.1 changed to oldies.

Was the oldies format popular in the 1980s? I wonder how many stations changed to oldies in the late 1980s?

It was in late 1987 sometime. KKSN 910 changed to oldies on aut 1, 1987, the day KAAR 1480 went silent. I don't know how popular oldies were in the 80's, since the oldies stations changed places so frequently.

KKSN-FM began a few days before Valentines Day 1988. They had a day-long special a few days later with former KISN Good Guys, which I taped(on Beta), all of which remains to this day.

KSGO switched to Oldies on Sept 1, 1984 and was doing well until KKSN-FM switched to oldies in early Feb 1988. I worked for KAAR and we never made a dent in KSGO ratings.

I've probably mentioned this before but KGW switched to Oldies right after that. They were a solid #2 in a 4-station race with a 2.8, which they decided wasn't high enough and changed format again! KSGO peaked at 3.6 and was losing audience when KKSN-AM switched.

Forgot that your right.

Craig--

Perhaps I am a bit too lazy to look elsewhere, but what was the specific date KISN first signed on its AM station at 910? And I don't mean its most recent incarnation post-Charlie's, but the first time around in the 50s?

If you haven't checked-out Robin Mitchell's Radio History and Top 40 Chronology, you should. A great resource! KVAN 910AM became KISN at 6am on May 1, 1959.

Mrs Murphy who ran KVAN soley, after her husband died, some how got a sellin' call sign swap in this deal with AM 910 and wound up with the KVAN call on AM-1480 And then.......

When I was a kid, about 15 or 16 and up thru age 18 or so I remember real well the talk and derision and sarcasm about how Mrs Murphy moved KVAN/1480 without FCC permission, she was fined. She had it moved out to Marine drive in a trailer and in the beginning the station had an "end fed zep" longwire horizontal type antenna because she didnt have the money or permit to install a tower out there ! I heard this from many of the key people in the Clark Co. Ham Club in the late 60s, Broadcast engineers they were,and from one person that worked for her for about a year. One of these Engineers , kq4 is quite familiar with. I think this all happened between 1966 and 69.... Any and all clarifications or other stories regarding Mrs Murphy's some times bizarre broadcast radio behavior, would be quite enlightening.

The KVAN calls were assigned to KPVA 1480 Camas on May 13, 1960. The calls had been tied up with KVAN-TV's C.P. which the FCC threw out a week earlier because of no action. There's no doubt about it, Mrs. Cathryn (Cragen, maiden name) Murphy was one of the most colorful owners in the Portland area. She gained 100 per cent control of KVAN on November 2, 1960 in a divorce settlement from William Barry Murphy.

On October 23, 1964 UPI sued KVAN for non-payment of fees totaling $1,132.44. KVAN had reneged on its UPI contract. Between July 31st & August 3, 1968 KVAN became the first station in the Portland area to adopt a progressive aka underground format. Between March 31st & April 4, 1969 KVAN moved into a trailer house at 11197 N. Portland Rd. without FCC authority. There was no running water or toilet facilites and there was no tower. Instead a horizontal dipole flown between some trees down by "The St. Johns Gun Club & Dog Motel".

In mid January 1970 a tower was erected and by March 1970 the trailer was replaced by a house. Still no running water or toilet. On September 11, 1972 the FCC moved against renewal of KVAN's license. The FCC: "Such lack of candor and willingness to fabricate situations require the ultimate conclusion that she does not possess the requisite qualifications to be a licensee of the commission." There is SO much more detail to this story but I don't want to give it all away since I want to redo this history in the future.

Thanks KQ4!

You're welcome, Fox!

Thanks Craig , that KVAN chronology was ...enlightening. I remember some Mrs Murphy stories..One of these, in particular, still sticks out in my mind clearly

This guy, ham operator I knew, who worked for Mrs Murphy for a year or so and was at one time the Chief Operator there and an afternoon DJ at KVAN during the mid to late 60s.

One day Miz "M" came to the station, I dont know if it was at the trailer or where ever KVAN was located before that, and he said was she well lubricated with "ETOH" should we say....Things got so bad that she would'nt shut up when he was doing his afternoon record show , when he opened the mike and so on...and this kept on and on , so about 330 in the afternoon he had finally had enough...

He went into the transmitter room shut down the plates, turned off the filaments and then proceeded to turn off the multiphase disconnect to the Tranmitter power supply and went so far as to padlock it in the OPEN circuit position ! Got his coat and left post haste, leaving Miz 'M' croaking out some drunken tirade or another...

This made for wonderful gut laughing conversation at Onslow's Restaurant in downtown Vancouver after our Tuesday Night Club meetings...

Where was KVAN 1480's tower before they moved it to North Portland Road?

KVAN transmitter & studios before the move to N. Portland Rd. were on Hayden Island at 12640 N. Farr Rd. Today this would be about where "Video Only" is. 1860 N. Hayden Island Dr.

Ya, you see you jog my faded memory Craig...I could not remember where KVAN was before 'the big move'....thaaaats right..And it was all because some developer was making noises back then about 'the mall' in 68'69' ...which of course didnt appear till the 70s as I remember...I went away to school in 69' and didnt come back till late 71'.

Her sale of that property had to do with the prospect of the Janzen Mall project.