Claude Rorabaugh writes:
Hello Jason,
Just to let you know that KMUZ-FM Camas (Now KNRK) will be 30 years old
on November 1st of this year. We received authorization to begin full
power program test that day.
During that period of about 30 days we played Christmas music and then
with a spot load through Christmas Day 1992. Our AM station in Gresham
on 1230 was purchased earlier in the year from a receivership situation.
It is now KRYN.
We signed on with the National Anthem, then a few words from my partner
Bill King and myself about what we planned to do with the station, our
first on-air song was Kenny Rogers’ Christmas Is The Most Wonderful Time
of The Year. Our legal ID was simply KMUZ-FM Camas at 94.7 megahertz
conducting program tests.
We were a Bonneville easy listening syndication client. CBS Spot sales
was our national rep firm and we had CBS update headlines on the bottom
of the hour.
We were CD quality digital all the way to the exciter. Our transmitter
was a TTL solid state 1 kw with gain to the circular Jampro antenna to
effect 3 kw. Our signal went as far north as Woodland, WA along I-5,
south to nearly Newberg OR., West to Beaverton and east to Zig Zag with
the grade “A” signal. We were directional to protect a Eugene FM.
Bill passed away 5 or 6 years back. Program manager Marshall Moss died a
few years back. Several of the investors were much older than me and
have since gone to be with the Lord.
The station was profitable but the other partners wanted out and Bill
and I did not have the funds to buy them out.
Claude Rorabaugh
Claude adds:
Jason,
I found a spreadsheet that we used for our informal planning and board
meetings.
Overall Pacific NW Broadcasting had about $500,000 invested. The other
investors depreciated and took tax advantages from the formal
bookkeeping done by the talented and lovely Mrs. Dana Singleton back then.
This was just a simple budget.
Note: We had antenna income from the AM site. 1010 AM leased from us.
The AM tower was on Gresham School district land and there was no reason
to move it.
The FM site was leased from Portland General Electric on Mount Scott
near Clackamas, OR. Power, tower lease was a whooping $800 a month. So
all the delays and other jazz worked to a financial advantage. If memory
serves the KGON tower setup was $3,000 or so a month then with complex
multiplexing coupling and other jazz.
I though everyone might like a look at a budget from 30 years back. The
file was converted from Lotus 123 to Excel, thus the date on the file
doesn’t match with 1993 but 2005 when I started using Excel.
******* I found 4 surviving clips of the Bonneville Anita Kerr “jingles” for
KMUZ-FM.
Originally used with Bonneville beautiful music clients in the fall of
’73. WRFM, KIRO-FM, CHQM-FM, and others worked well for Anita to sing
the call signs. Others more complex signs that didn’t a flow to an FM
suffix used the “generic” instrumental beds.
I had a local female artist sing KMUZ-FM and I mixed as carefully as I
could to the original pitch and timing.
Anita Kerr was not available and frankly the jingles were 19 years old
at the time we went on air.
KMUZ-FM Beautiful Music IDs (1:29)
On 12/26/1992 when we went off Christmas music, we added these lovely
signatures along with instrumental variants as the normal beautiful
music begins … KMUZ-FM Camas, 94.7 is Kay Music, Refreshing radio.
C.E. Rorabaugh
That’s it … no more KMUZ stories.
Claude
KMUZBUDGET-CLAUDERORABAUGH
SPURIOUS EMISSIONS…
Morning, Midday Anchor at ABC 27 Tallahassee, Brian Jackson, soon to start at KCPQ FOX 13 News nights.
Adam Gehrke returned to his duties as traffic reporter at FOX 13 this week. Adam was on honeymoon since wedding Sprince Arbogast.
Lou Robbins — Admin/Editor | Airchecks
KTOY | KVAC (WA-1974) | KDFL (WA-1975) | KTTX (TX- 1976) | KWHI (TX-1976) | KONP (WA-1977) | KBAM (WA-1978) | KJUN (WA-1983) | KRPM (WA-1984) | KAMT (WA-1986) | KASY (WA-1988) | KBRD (WA-1989) | KTAC (WA-1990) | KMTT (WA-1991) | KOOL (AZ-1994)
Perfect match to sing the station call letters. That format is the most enjoyable to me, especially at my age where I shun the nonsense lyrics of what has been considered music, in recent decades (yes, it has been awhile since real music has been published).
Claude writes that the KMUZ-FM signal reached “nearly to Newberg, OR.” Well, this Seattle native has lived in Newberg since 1993, and I can affirm that we received KMUZ just fine — and I greatly enjoyed its easy listening format. In fact, I think it was the last station in either western Oregon or western Washington to have such a format, and I miss it. One would think that in these stressed-out times that easy listening would have a resurgence, but it hasn’t happened — yet. Hope springs eternal…:-)
And the station made a profit apparently, (Budget sheet added above).
The Internet provides a few good Beautiful Music channels, but I do miss the local announcers, breaks, news AND commercials.
I agree, Jason, warm and friendly announcers, local news, commercials for local businesses, local everything is what makes it MY station. I wonder how many people have a favorite station anymore
I just found some online stations called Easy Radio: different formats, different decades. Interesting mix.
Goodnight Irene, Frank Sinatra
Eddie My Love, The Teen Queens
The Loveliest Night of the Year, Mario Lanza
In the Chapel in the Moonlight, Kitty Kallen
Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall, The Ink Spots with Ella Fitzgerald
The Story of Tina, Al Martino
Since I Don’t Have You, The Skyliners
Butterfly, Charlie Gracie
Twilight Time, The Platters
Without Love, Tom Jones
Games People Play, Joe South
EASY.RADIO I think you struck gold with this one, Dick. Now if I can figure out how to command Alexa to play the Instrumental station…
Claude writes that the KMUZ-FM signal went ‘nearly to Newberg, OR’. Well, this Seattle native has lived in Newberg since 1993 and can affirm that I received KMUZ just fine here — and I greatly enjoyed its easy listening format. In fact, I think it may have been the last station in either western Oregon or western Washington to have such a format, and I was sorry to see it go. One would think in these stressed- out times that easy listening would have a resurgence, but it hasn’t — yet. Hope springs eternal … 🙂