KGFX (AM)

KGFX
City Pierre, South Dakota
Branding 1060 KGFX
Slogan South Dakota's Pioneer Radio Station
Frequency 1060 kHz
Translator(s) 107.1 K296FI (Pierre)
First air date June 1, 1916[1]
Format Classic Country
Power 10,000 watts day
1,000 watts night
Class B
Facility ID 30209
Transmitter coordinates 44°17′12.00″N 100°20′18.00″W / 44.2866667°N 100.3383333°W / 44.2866667; -100.3383333
Owner Ingstad Family Media
(James River Broadcasting)
Sister stations KGFX-FM, KJBI, KMLO, KOLY, KOLY-FM, KPLO-FM
Webcast Listen Live
Website www.drgnews.com/listen/kgfx-am/

KGFX (1060 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a classic country format. Licensed to Pierre, South Dakota, United States, the station is owned by James River Broadcasting.[2] KGFX traces its history back more than 100 years, putting it among the oldest radio stations in the U.S.

KGFX is powered at 10,000 watts by day. But because AM 1060 is a clear channel frequency reserved for Class A stations KYW Philadelphia and XEEP Mexico City, it must reduce power at night to 1,000 watts. The transmitter is located off U.S. Route 83 south of Pierre. Programming can also be heard on K296FI, an FM translator station at 107.1 MHz.[3] All four James River Broadcasting stations in Pierre share studios at 214 West Pleasant Drive.

History

The radio station that eventually became KGFX began with Dana McNeil, a railroad employee who lived in Pierre. He began experimenting with amateur radio in the first decade of the twentieth century. At that time, "amateur radio" consisted of using spark gap equipment, which was capable of Morse Code transmissions but not voice. McNeil applied to the US Department of Commerce for permission to transmit, requesting a Class 5 Special Amateur License. On August 13, 1912 that license was granted and the operation was assigned the call sign 9ZP. It was authorized for spark-gap transmissions only.[4]

A General Amateur Radio License was next applied for, and this was granted on June 1, 1916, using the call sign 9CLS. This class of license allowed voice transmissions, so occasional voice broadcasts were made after that date. The station equipment was located in McNeil's house on West Pleasant Drive in Pierre. The equipment moved (along with the McNeil family, which by that time included his wife, the former Ida Anding) to a new house at 203 West Broadway in 1921.

On September 26, 1924 the station was "officially" licensed for transmission of both voice and code transmissions. On August 15, 1927 the station's call sign was changed to KGFX and its carrier frequency was set at 1180 kilocycles. Its operating hours were set as between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily. This license came from the Federal Radio Commission, which came into being in 1927, as a forerunner to today's Federal Communications Commission.

On November 11, 1928 the station's frequency was changed to 580 kc. In 1930 the National Weather Bureau closed its Pierre data-collecting station, and the personnel of KGFX assumed that duty. They used weather balloons and weather-measuring equipment to send weather reports at 6-hour intervals.

In October 1931 the station's carrier frequency changed again, to 630 kc, broadcasting at 200 watts of power.[5] The following year, the station became a full "commercial" operation, soliciting and selling advertising time.

On October 15, 1936, Dana McNeil died, leaving the station's ownership and operation to Ida. The studio remained in the McNeil house until 1967, when it moved to the Sahr Building, at the corner of East Capital and Highland Streets.

In 1967 the FCC changed the station's carrier frequency, this time to 1060 kHz, and its allowable transmission power was raised to 10,000 watts, although the station remained restricted to daytime broadcasts only.[6] Two towers were constructed for the station, south of Fort Pierre along Route 83.

In 1972 James River Broadcasting moved the studio to 214 West Pleasant Drive. In 1976 two additional towers were constructed, and the station was permitted to broadcast at night but at only 1,000 watts.

WGFX 90 Year Anniversary Logo from 2006

References

  1. ↑ KGFX Station history
  2. ↑ "KGFX Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. ↑ Radio-Locator.com/K196FI
  4. ↑ http://www.dakotaradiogroup.com/viewpage.aspx?id=history Station KGFX website, accessed September 10, 2009
  5. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1936 page 86
  6. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1973 page B-182
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