KWVN-FM (107.7 FM, "107.7 Hot FM") is a commercial

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting 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 rad ...

licensed A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...

to serve

Pendleton, Oregon Pendleton is a city in and the county seat of Umatilla County, Oregon, Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. The population was 17,107 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, which includes approximately 1,600 people who are ...

, United States. The station, originally launched in October 1978, is currently owned by Randolph and Debra McKone's Elkhorn Media Group and the

broadcast license A broadcast license is a type of spectrum license granting the licensee permission to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses generally include restrictions, which va ...

is held by EMG2, LLC.

Programming

KWVN-FM broadcasts an adult hits music format to the greater Columbia Basin area. Notable syndicated programming includes ''

American Top 40 ''American Top 40'' (abbreviated to ''AT40'') is an internationally radio syndication, syndicated, independent song countdown radio programming, radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds, and Ron Jacobs (broadcaster), Ron Jaco ...

'' with

Ryan Seacrest Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American television presenter and producer. Seacrest is the host of '' Wheel of Fortune'', having hosted since replacing long-time host Pat Sajak in September 2024. Seacrest co-hosted and ser ...

on Sunday mornings.

History

This station began regular broadcasting on October 1, 1978, broadcasting with 27,500

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...

s on 107.7

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...

as KUMA-FM, sister station to KUMA (1290 AM). Under the ownership of the Pendleton Broadcasting Company, KUMA-FM aired a " bright and beautiful" music format. KUMA-FM was founded by Theodore A. "Ted" Smith and his wife Phyllis as part of Pendleton Broadcasting Company, a business that Ted Smith joined in 1955 after his service in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. In September 1988, Ted and Phyllis Smith applied to the FCC to transfer control of the Pendleton Broadcasting Company to Gregory A. Smith, their son. The deal was approved by the FCC on November 18, 1988. The younger Smith applied to the FCC for a new callsign and the station was assigned KSXM on August 1, 1989. KSXM dropped most of the simulcast with the AM station and adopted a

classic rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

music format. In March 1993, Pendleton Broadcasting Company, Inc., reached an agreement to sell this station and sister station KUMA-FM to Capps Broadcast Group's Round-Up Radio, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on July 1, 1993, and the transaction was consummated on the same day. The station applied to the FCC for the return of its original callsign and this request was granted on September 24, 1993. On January 11, 2010, KUMA-FM changed their

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...

to KWVN-FM. On January 27, 2010 KWVN-FM changed their format to adult hits, branded as "107.7 The Vine". On February 2, 2015 KWVN-FM changed their format to Top 40 (CHR), branded as "107.7 Hot FM". KWVN-FM today primarily targets the Walla Walla valley and Milton-Freewater, OR. Signal and geographic limitations from the current tower location make KWVN unsuitable to rebrand as a Tri-Cities area FM station without a booster service to fill in areas of Kennewick shielded by terrain. Effective November 1, 2017, Capps Broadcast Group sold KWVN-FM and nine other broadcast properties to Elkhorn Media Group for $1.75 million.

Facilities

KWVN-FM shares a studio building with

sister stations In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...

KTIX KTIX (1240 AM, "103.1 The Outlaw") is a radio station licensed to serve Pendleton, Oregon, United States. The station, which began broadcasting as KWRC in May 1941, is currently owned by Randolph and Debra McKone's Elkhorn Media Group and th ...

(1240 AM), KUMA (1290 AM), and

KWHT KWHT (103.5 FM, "K-Wheat") is a radio station licensed to serve Pendleton, Oregon, United States. The station, which began broadcasting in 1984, is currently owned by Randolph and Debra McKone's Elkhorn Media Group and the broadcast license i ...

(103.5 FM). This multi-station facility is located at the west end of

Eastern Oregon Regional Airport Eastern Oregon Regional Airport (Eastern Oregon Regional Airport at Pendleton) is a public airport three miles northwest of Pendleton, in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. Commercial service is provided by Boutique Air to Portland, subsi ...

. KWVN-FM broadcasts from a tower that originally served as the

broadcast tower Radio masts and towers are typically tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. There are two main types: guyed and self-supporting structures. They are among the tallest human-m ...

for

from 1941 to 2002. It was removed from its original South Hill location and re-erected on Cabbage Hill for the FM station's use.

Translators

KWVN-FM programming is also carried on multiple

broadcast translator A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tran ...

stations to extend or improve the coverage area of the station. The then-KUMA-FM translators made headlines in March 1994 when the FCC shut down a quarter-watt

pirate radio Pirate radio is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license, whether an invalid license or no license at all. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are rec ...

station in

Condon, Oregon Condon is a city in and the county seat of Gilliam County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. The population was 682 at the 2010 census. The city, with an historic main street along Oregon Route 19, is a farming and ranching community. The John Day ...

, operated by Bill Roberts on the same frequency as one of the translator stations, causing interference. Roberts, who ran the station from his bedroom with a focus on community news and local sports, believed the operation to be legal but agents from the FCC's

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, field office informed him otherwise and ordered the shutdown.

References

External links

KWVN-FM official websiteCapps Broadcast Group
* {{Contemporary Hit Radio Stations in Oregon WVN-FM Contemporary hit radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1978 Pendleton, Oregon 1978 establishments in Oregon