KLBM (1450
AM, "Supertalk 1450") is a
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
in
La Grande, Oregon
La Grande is a city in Union County, Oregon, United States. Originally named "Brownsville," it was forced to change its name because that name was being used for a city in Linn County. Located in the Grande Ronde Valley, the city's name comes ...
. KLBM is simulcast with
KBKR
KBKR (1490 AM, "Supertalk 1490") is a radio station licensed to serve Baker City, in the U.S. state of Oregon. The station is owned by the Pacific Empire Radio Corporation.
All five stations owned and operated by Pacific Empire Radio Corporatio ...
in
Baker City, Oregon
Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward D. Baker, the only U.S. Senator ever killed in military combat. The population was 10,099 at the time of the 2020 census.
History
Pl ...
. It is owned by Pacific Empire Radio Corporation.
All five stations owned and operated by Pacific Empire Radio Corporation share a
radio studio
A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...
building in La Grande, Oregon, located at 2510 Cove Avenue.
History
KLBM (K Land of Blue Mountains) was founded in 1938 and originally was located on U.S. 30 just outside La Grande's east city limit. Later, the station moved its studios and offices to the Sacajawea Hotel in downtown La Grande. In June 1970, KLBM moved to Cove Avenue.
KLBM also had an FM station, originally known as KFMT, which it purchased in the late 1970s, changing the call letters to KLBM-FM.
For much of its history, KLBM-AM 1450 followed an adult contemporary music format and was affiliated with the ABC radio network. As the only station in La Grande for many years, KLBM offered a wide variety of local programming: "Man on the Street" interviews, live remotes during special events, and coverage of La Grande High School and
Eastern Oregon University
Eastern Oregon University (EOU) (officially designated as Oregon’s Rural University) is a public university in La Grande, Oregon. It was formerly part of the Oregon University System, since dissolved. EOU was founded in 1929 as a teacher’ ...
sports. KLBM was also a longtime member of the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
and
Oregon State University
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering co ...
football radio networks, and of the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
's (NBA)
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...
radio network. In its early days, the station used a "shunt fed" 173 foot self-supporting steel tower.
[http://www.nrcdxas.org/ERC_Veries2/OR/KBLM.pdf]
In 2010 under new program director Shain Bolland, the station decided to add sports back into its programming by adding the Johnny Ballgame Show, a two time award-winning daily sports talk program formerly in Moscow, Idaho, hosted by John Mallory. In addition to the Johnny Ballgame Show, KLBM signed contracts to broadcast Oregon State University and Boise State University football and Portland Trail Blazers basketball (NBA).
KLBM is well known for its program, Tradio, a live call-in program in which callers can buy/sell/trade items to each other within the community.
A fallout shelter behind the station at its current location once boasted the resources (food, water and propane-fired electrical generators) to run the AM station remotely on reduced power with a staff of two for 14 days.
Station alumni
KLBM's long-term air personalities of the past include Warren Curry, who was on the air from the 1950s to the late 1970s, and continued as chief engineer until the early 1990s. Another enduring KLBM "voice" was that of Ken Lillard, who owned the station for more than 40 years before selling it and retiring in 1984. Lillard was a regular on-air announcer from the 1940s to the 1960s, and continued producing advertising spots and special programming until his retirement. He died in March 2008. Other past air personalities include Leonard Hermens, George Clymer, John Farrar, Gary Alan, John Shay, Ron Furbie, Doug Johnson, Shawn Zurbrick, Steve Walther, & Thomas Barnes (The Eastern Oregon Pirate). In addition to Lillard and Curry, another long-term alumni was Robert "Bob" Maszk, who served as news director at KLBM for several decades and also served briefly as an anchor-reporter for La Grande's short-lived commercial TV station KTVR.
Early 1950s - J Pierpont Pupuli AKA: Dean E. Lewis, had a morning show in the early 1950s called the "Morning Massacre". Post ww2 sound effects of machine guns, aerial warfare, etc. a lead in to the Morning Massacre. Mr. Lewis was a war veteran and returned to active duty with the US Army Air Corps soon to be the USAF. Mr. Lewis located to Klamath Falls, Oregon with his family.
References
External links
KLBM official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Klbm
LBM
News and talk radio stations in the United States
Radio stations established in 1938
La Grande, Oregon
1938 establishments in Oregon