KJJR
Radio station in Whitefish, Montana, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
KJJR (880 AM, "News Talk 880") is a radio station licensed to serve Whitefish, Montana, United States. Bee Broadcasting, Inc. owns the station and airs in a news/talk format.[2]
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| Broadcast area | Kalispell, Montana |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 880 kHz |
| Branding | News Talk 880 AM 107.9 FM |
| Programming | |
| Format | News/talk |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Bee Broadcasting, Inc. |
| History | |
First air date | February 14, 1979 |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 4578 |
| Class | B |
| Power |
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Transmitter coordinates | 48°23′43.9″N 114°19′14.5″W |
| Translator | 107.9 K300DK (Whitefish) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | streamdb8web |
| Website | kjjr |
History
The station first signed on the air on February 14, 1979, originally broadcasting on the frequency of 1400 kHz as a Class IV local station. [3] It was established by Benny Bee, Sr., who launched the station with a Top 40 and "country gold" format that focused heavily on local personalities and community news. [4] In 1985, the station underwent a major technical upgrade, moving from the crowded 1400 kHz local channel to its current "clear-channel" position at 880 kHz. [5] This move allowed KJJR to increase its daytime power to 10,000 watts, significantly expanding its coverage area across the Flathead Valley and into British Columbia, Canada.[6] Because 880 AM is a clear-channel frequency dominated by WHSQ (formerly WCBS) in New York City, KJJR must reduce its power at night to avoid skywave interference. [7]The station's original call letters were selected by Program Director Dave Shannon as an homage to the legendary KJR in Seattle. [8] The station airs syndicated talk shows hosted from Dan Bongino, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Michael Savage, Ben Shapiro, Joe Pags, and Bill Cunningham.
Tests
KJJR has gained a unique reputation among radio hobbyists due to its modern DX tests, which use the station’s high-power daytime signal to reach listeners across the globe during early morning "maintenance" windows.
On January 8, 2022, KJJR conducted a high-profile DX test arranged primarily by Chief Engineer Todd Clark.[9] The test utilized the station's full 10,000-watt daytime power and non-directional pattern at midnight local time, allowing the signal to skip far beyond its normal footprint. [10]
The 2022 test yielded reception reports from across the globe, reaching as far as Finland, where it was logged from a distance of 4,346 miles. [11] Additional "armchair copy" reports came from Sweden and Norway, where DXers utilized massive Beverage antennas nearly 3,000 feet (914 m) in length to isolate the Montana signal. [12] Domestic hobbyists in Alabama and New Mexico reported success, using Software-Defined Radios (SDR) to visually identify the Morse Code IDs on waterfall displays despite the presence of heavy local interference.[13]
All Bee Broadcasting stations are based at 2431 Highway 2 East, Kalispell, Montana. The Federal Communications Commission assigned the station the KJJR call letters.[14] AM 880 is a clear-channel frequency in the United States, and WHSQ in New York City is the dominant and only Class A station.
