SUMMARY
KNEW first went on the air from this site in 1947 on 1430 kHz with 5 kW, using the same directional pattern and power day and night on two towers. The pattern was a modified cardioid shaped and the transmitter was a 5 kW RCA BTA-5F. In 1950, the FCC allowed KNEW to operate on both 790 kHz (using the RA BTA-5F) and 1430 kHz (using a 1 kW Westinghouse Dougherty transmitter) for six weeks until the engineers could get the directional pattern properly tuned. In the beginning, KNEW's studio and offices were located in downtown Spokane at Sprague Avenue and Wall Street. In 1955, they moved the studio and offices to Moran Prairie. The owners dropped the KNEW call in 1966 in favor of KJRB to show its relationship to KJR Seattle.
Mapleton Communications now uses this building at this site for its studios and offices. KJRB now transmits from Spangle, Washington, a site shared with KGA-1510 since the fall of 1999.
My 2005 visit to this site.
In June 2005, my Dad and I paid a quick drive-by visit to this
site. As I had not visited this site since the early 1980's,
I did not recognize the place. By the looks of the satellite
photos, they added on to the older building and changed the
facade.
PHOTO GALLERY
KNEW studio/office building in 1954.
(Courtesy of the Northwest
Museum of Arts & Culture/Eastern Washington State Historical
Society, Spokane, Washington - further publication of this image
is not permitted.)
KJRB studio building about 1967.
(Courtesy of Norm Gregory)
KJRB studio building about 1975.
Picture taken by John Johnson.
Courtesy of
www.johninmontana.com
2005 view of building.
You are looking at the original
building. The facade has been replaced. (©philcobill.com)
2005 - sign in front of building
(©philcobill.com)
Satellite view in 1995.
All four towers are
visible. (Terraserver)
Satellite view about 2003.
The black roof part is the original building.
Compare this image with the 1995 image above. The antenna field
is mostly covered by residential housing. (Google Earth)
Compiled and edited by Bill Harms - 3 September 2008
SOURCES:
- Broadacast Station Application Records. Via Xen Scott. Federal Communications Commission Archives. Washington, DC. Various Dates
- Hoffart, Vincent. "History of KJRB." Article appearing "Early Days of Spokane Radio" before 1981.
KNEW 1430 - 21 November 1947-
KNEW 790 - 8 August 1950-
KJRB 790 - 18 July 1966-
Moran Prairie.
East 1601 57th Avenue.
21 November 1947 to August 1999.
