As of this writing, Portland is losing a piece of Radio Television history. See it while you still can. I'm talking about the old KXL-FM Transmitter Site located at 4636 S.W. Council Crest Drive. It has a very interesting history, I was going to share with everyone down the line. I fear, if I wait, it will all be gone. The Tower has already been dismantled completely. All that is left is the Transmitter Building and it look's like it's next on the list. First some history on the Tower. This site was owned by KXL-FM 95.5 and a number of FM's also leased antenna space on the it before KGON built a taller structure. The stations were KLIQ-FM/KGON 92.3, KPDQ-FM 93.7, KJIB(KWJJ-FM?) 99.5 & KQFM/KKRZ 100.3.

Before KXL purchased the site on June 18, 1965, it was the KGMG 95.5 studios & transmitter site. Here's where it get's very interesting. Before this, the owners of KGMG won the site on December 23, 1959 before they had the station on the air. The Company was IGM (International Good Music, Inc.) of Bellingham, WA, owners of KVOS AM-TV and builders of radio automation systems. The winning bid was $45,500. The loser in the biding was the State of Oregon, for their proposed TV station on channel 10. All this occurred because of what happened on October 31, 1959. That's the day when KHTV channel 27 left the air and declared bankruptcy. This site was originally the KHTV studio & transmitter site. That's right the studio too! The independent station went on the air four months earlier on July 6, 1959. Their only studio was called "STUDIO A-B-C & D". It's hard to believe a TV station had it's studio in this small building, but true. Side note: KPTV had abandoned channel 27 on 5-1-57.

Yes, it is true that KHTV was in that building. I went and saw it and knew people that worked there. Their offices were in downtown Portland in the Regal Building. Just the offices.
On the hill, the studio was on the upstairs, street level floor. The control room was the downstairs floor. When they did car commercials, they did them live and they opened a door in the studio to the street, pointed the camera out the door and they would drive the cars by on the street. It has been a long time and I don't remember too many details but it was all black and white equipment with one film chain. A simple operation. No videotape equipment as that was all new in those days.

Jimbo: It looks like the basement is gone. The studio is held up with stilts. I wonder if the basement was done away with along time ago. That would sure make the studio building larger than I thought. Great Car spot story.

As I said, it was many years ago. I had not been up there for many years....the last time I went in the building was when Don Wilkinson was chief Engineer at KPDQ. KJIB did become KWJJ.

Sorry to see the old building and tower site go.
For the first two months KGON/92.3 was on the air I was not only a weekend jock I was also a transmitter meter reader for 8 hours a day during the week. It took several months to get the studio-transmitter link remote control equipment up and running. This was back when you had to log meter readings every half hour.
Many times I would run up the street to the KPAM studios (now the KGON tower building) and visit friends on the air there.

I believe 95.5 KXL-FM moved to the KKSN-FM/KGON/KPDQ-FM/KWJJ-FM tower, in 1998?

Before that, was 95.5 on the 4636 SW Council Crest tower? I remember 95.5's signal being lower than the others, for quite some time.

The city said the tower had to come down. It was part of the sale. The concrete base is still there. They built a deck on it. Building is just being remodeled, not torn down.

Hannes: Remodeled for what? The new deck didn't fit into anything happening up their. What are they going to do? You can't see any view on the deck, the trees are in the way.

Jimbo: What I was questioning on KJIB, later KWJJ-FM was, I wasn't sure KWJJ-FM had broadcast from their or if KJIB had moved their transmitter before the call letter change.

I've checked my info. and it does say where the KWJJ-FM transmitter site is currently. Does anybody know?

I remember KJIB was on KXL tower. KWJJ-AM had there studios in the mansion on SW King. I went in there once and they were broadcasting KJIB from that location, also. I do not know when the transmitter location was moved.

KWJJ-FM had been on the air for several years with those call letters when they moved to the KGON tower. I ran across mentions of KHTV while researching the beginnings of KISN and wondered whatever happened to it. Thanks again, Craig!

Oops! Sorry my spelling error above. Should read: "I've checked my info. and it (doesn't) say where the KWJJ-FM transmitter site is currently. Does anybody know?" Thank You Semoochie, You guessed right!

KWJJ-FM is still at KGON, as far as I know.

I would like to add clarification here.

KBOO was in that building as well, on the main floor.

The antenna was not much higher then that.

You knew kboo's xmtr was on if you went into the main room nearest the tower and the flourescent tubes were glowing.

Gray Haertig was talking a while back about buying that building, guess that didn't happen?

Gray Haertig bought the building. More about this coming soon with the 95.5 History.

I'm researching Lucky Lager Dance Time. What station in Portland ran this program, and who was the jock? I would be interested in finding a recording of this show from the late 50's. What years did it run. I know about Bill Gavin and his wife Janice who started it in SF.

Anybody know? K7kfm: If you don't get an answer, you might check the daily radio grid listings in "The Oregonian" microfilm at The Multnomah County Library.

The show ran on KGW. Bill Gavin put together the music popularity lists for all the stations.
It was locally hosted. I'm not sure, but the local host may have been HAL STARR...who also had a UFO Report show in the evening on KGW.

The Oregonian or Journal archives might have something...at the library as Craig mentioned...or at the Oregon Historical Society across from the Oregonian on Broadway.

Does anyone know the whereabouts of Hal Starr? I remember the UFO reports. What a kick. I went on a wild goose chase looking for flying saucers on a lake that the program reported sightings! Ah the fun things of youth!