City Vancouver, Washington Slogan America's Best Music | Branding Sunny 1550 Frequency 1550 kHz | |
Broadcast area Portland Metropolitan Area First air date August 10, 1963 (as KGAR) | ||
KKOV (1550 kHz) is an AM radio station licensed to Vancouver, Washington, United States, and serving the Portland metropolitan area. The station is owned by Pamplin Media Group which also owns the Portland Tribune newspaper and 860 KPAM. The broadcast license is held by Pamplin Broadcasting-Washington, Inc. Studios and offices are on Southeast Lake Road in Portland and the transmitter is in the Parkway East neighborhood of Vancouver, Washington, across the Columbia River from Portland.
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KKOV operates in the daytime at 50,000 watts non-directional, the highest power permitted by the Federal Communications Commission. But because 1550 kHz is a Canadian clear channel frequency, at night, the station must reduce power to 12,000 watts and use a directional antenna pattern to protect CBEF Windsor, Ontario, the Class A station on the frequency.
Programming
KKOV broadcasts an adult standards format known as "America's Greatest Hits." The format is syndicated by Westwood One. The music is primarily adult popular hits from 1960 to today, and artists include The Beatles, Dionne Warwick, Elton John and Frank Sinatra. Some paid Brokered programming airs on weekends. National news at the beginning of most hours is supplied by Westwood One News.
History
The station first signed on the air on August 10, 1963 as "KGAR," broadcasting at 10,000 watts around the clock. Over the years, the station changed ownership and formats several times, and its power was boosted to 50,000 watts by day, 12,000 watts by night. It was assigned the call sign "KKOV" by the F.C.C. on January 26, 2011.
On April 4, 2011 KKOV changed its format from adult standards to talk, branded as "Talk 1550". On October 29, 2012 KKOV switched back to adult standards, branded as "Sunny 1550".