KJHK

Infobox Radio station
name = KJHK


city = Lawrence
area = Eastern Kansas, including parts of Topeka and Kansas City
slogan = The Sound Alternative
airdate = 1956 (KUOK 630 AM)
October 15, 1975 (KJHK 90.7 FM)
callsign_meaning = The Jayhawk, mascot of the University of Kansas
former_callsigns = KUOK
branding =
frequency = 90.7 MHz
format = College Radio (Various)
power = 2600 Watts
erp =
class =
owner = KU students
website = [http://www.kjhk.org/ KJHK]

KJHK 90.7 FM is a campus radio station, located in Lawrence, Kansas at the University of Kansas. On December 3, 1994, the station became one of the first radio stations to broadcast a live, continuous stream over internet radio. It currently broadcasts at 2600 watts, with a broadcast area covering Lawrence, parts of Topeka, and Kansas City. The station is overseen by the KU Memorial Unions, but is completely run by KU students.

History

1950s-1970s

KJHK's roots go back to 1956, beginning as KUOK on AM 630, and even had basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain hosting his own show. By the 1970s, the popularity of the station was outgrowing its limited range and on October 5, 1975 the FCC gave final permission to broadcast at 90.7 megahertz, and granted the station the new call letters "KJHK". On October 15, 1975, Steve Doocy played the first song at 12:25 P.M., broadcasting at 9.9 watts. [cite web | title ="Sound Alternative", KU History.com | url =http://www.kuhistory.com/proto/story.asp?id=24 | format = English | accessdate =2007-03-26] In 1978 a bored staffer wrote a fake news report claiming a nuclear reactor explosion destroyed Waterloo, Iowa killing 15,000 people. Another staffer found the report and read it on air. The news was picked up by other organizations causing panic and was mentioned that night on the CBS Evening News by Walter Cronkite on how a single radio station "blowed up" Waterloo. [cite web | title =Alternative Flashback | url =http://www.lawrence.com/news/2005/oct/10/alternative_flashback/?print| format = English | accessdate =2007-03-26] The writer of the story was suspended for one semester before being promoted to news director the next fall. [cite web | title =30 years of KJHK: Dave Grissom | url =http://www.lawrence.com/news/2005/oct/10/dave_grissom/| format = English | accessdate =2007-03-26]

1980s

In 1987, KJHK was granted a power increase to 100 watts. In 1988 the FCC fined the station after an excited DJ said "Fuck you Billy Tubbs!" multiple times after the KU men's basketball title game against Oklahoma. This led the school administration to remove music with expletives. The administration also prevented Ku Klux Klan members to come on the air for a show on race citing security issues. Angry students protested what they saw as a censoring of free speech with some going as far as to make anonymous death threats. [cite web | title ="Sound Alternative", KU History.com | url =http://www.kuhistory.com/proto/story.asp?id=24 | format = English | accessdate =2007-03-26]

1990s

On Dec. 3, 1994, the station became one of the first in the nation to broadcast a live, 24-hour signal on the internet. [cite web | title = KJHK turns 30 years as the Sound Alternative | url =http://www.kuconnection.org/2005nov/news_1.asp | format = English | accessdate =2007-03-26] In 1995 KJHK changed its tagline from "The Sound Alternative", which it started using in 1976, to "The Hawk", because of alternative's association with top 40 music. In 2000, it reverted back to "The Sound Alternative". The station increased its signal to 2600 watts in 1998.

2000s

In 2003, after 28 years of supervision, the William Allen White School of Journalism decided that it could no longer support the station's operational budget, and KJHK was almost shut down.Fact|date=June 2008 Fortunately for the station and the Lawrence community, KU Memorial Unions agreed in 2004 to take up oversight of the station.Fact|date=June 2008 KJHK today is funded in-part by the KU Student Senate Media Fee as well as through donations by local businesses and private individuals. In 2005 KJHK celebrated its 30th anniversary by bringing a diverse group of artists to Lawrence such as Mates of State, LCD Soundsystem and Chuck D of Public Enemy. [cite web | title =KJHK hosting 30th anniversary 'birthday crawl' | url =http://www.oread.ku.edu/Oread05/Oct10/kjhk.shtml | format = English | accessdate =2007-03-26] Later that year the police were again called to KJ because of an amputee, with his severed foot in a bucket of formaldehyde, came to hang out at the station. [cite web | title =Amputee happy to be reunited with foot | url =http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2005/jul/26/amputee_happy_be/ | format = English | accessdate =2007-03-26] [cite web | title =5:13 Monday, October 2006 : A Farewell Interview To General Manager Andy Dierks | url =http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:1ksHmcWn6PYJ:www.kjhk.org/index.php%3Fname%3DPNphpBB2%26file%3Dposting%26mode%3Dquote%26p%3D65%26sid%3Db808cd3c16bf7afe56fd3b83c3a7261c+kjhk+formaldehyde&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us | format = English | accessdate =2007-03-26]

KJHK Today

The station currently has over 150 student volunteers, and continues with independent music as its charter and format. KJHK continues to grow, and will soon move to a new location inside the Kansas Memorial Union.

Awards and achievements

*KJHK students have been annually recognized with several awards for its technical and creative merits from the Kansas Association of Broadcasters. [cite web | title =KJHK student radio station wins 12 awards from Kansas Association of Broadcasters | url =http://www.news.ku.edu/2006/april/7/kjhk.shtml | format = English | accessdate =2007-03-26] [cite web | title =14 KU students on KJHK radio staff earn state broadcasting awards | url =http://www.news.ku.edu/2005/april/13/kjhk.shtml | format = English | accessdate =2007-03-26]

*Winner of CMJ's 2006 "Most Improved Station." [cite web | title =CMJ College Radio Awards Winners | url =http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=27047246 | format = English | accessdate =2007-03-26]

*Nominated for the 2007 PLUG Award for "Best College/Non-Commercial Radio Station Of The Year." [cite web | title =KJHK Nominated for PLUG Award | url =http://www.lawrencian.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=208&Itemid=47 | format = English | accessdate =2007-03-26]

*On June 8, 2007, KJHK was reportedly the first Kansas radio station to produce a live remote radio broadcast using the Broadcast Reliable Internet Codec. The station transmitted broadcast-quality audio over a Wi-Fi network at Clinton Lake State Park during the 2007 Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival.

*This was the first confirmed station to play the band Flight of the Conchords on July 17.

References

External links

* [http://www.kjhk.org KJHK Website]
* [http://www.lawrence.com/news/2005/oct/10/alternative_flashback/ KJHK 30th anniversary with timeline]
*FMQ|KJHK
*FML|KJHK
*FMARB|KJHK