KYKN

Most of KYKN's programming is nationally syndicated talk shows with an hour of local talk and news at noon on weekdays.

Local hosts include Mike Allegre,{{Cite web |title=Staff |url=https://kykn.com/staff/ |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=1430 KYKN |language=en-US}} Jake Atsma,{{Cite web |title=1430 KYKN Radio |url=https://cm.keizerchamber.com/list/member/1430-kykn-radio-1179 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250422092512/https://cm.keizerchamber.com/list/member/1430-kykn-radio-1179 |archive-date=2025-04-22 |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=Keizer Chamber of Commerce |language=en-US}} Warren Franklin, Charlie McGuire, Hunter Newton,{{Cite web |title=About KYKN |url=https://kykn.com/about/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250113105658/https://kykn.com/about/ |archive-date=2025-01-13 |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=1430 KYKN |language=en-US}} and Denise Quinn. National hosts include Glenn Beck, Larry Elder, Sebastian Gorka, Lee Habeeb, Hugh Hewitt, Charlie Kirk, Bill O'Reilly, Joe Pags, Dennis Prager, Todd Starnes, and Chris Stigall.

Weekend specialty shows focus on travel, law, technology, guns, car repair, and the outdoors. Weekend hosts include Kim Komando, Rudy Maxa, and Erick Erickson. Most hours begin with an update from Townhall News.

In autumn, sports programming includes local high school football. KYKN is also the Salem affiliate for the Seattle Mariners,{{Cite web |title=Broadcast Affiliates |url=https://www.mlb.com/mariners/schedule/broadcast-affiliates |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=MLB.com |publisher=Seattle Mariners |language=en-US}} as well as for football and basketball at the University of Oregon.

This station began broadcasting in 1951 as KGAE. It had 1,000 watts of power as a daytime-only station.{{cite book |title=1952 Broadcasting Yearbook |year=1952 |page=240 |chapter=Directory of the AM and FM stations of the United States |publisher=Broadcasting Publications, Inc. |location=Washington, D.C.}} The original call sign was KGAE and its city of license was Salem, Oregon. It was owned by a partnership known as Allen, Truhan, & Clark, with partner W. Gordon serving as president and general manager.

This partnership would be soon dissolved leading to a now-oft cited{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}} court case that went all the way to the Oregon Supreme Court.{{cite news |work=Loislaw |title=Oregon Supreme Court Reports - CLARK v. ALLEN ET AL, 215 Or. 403 |quote=This case involves the dissolution of a partnership formed to establish and operate radio station KGAE in Salem. |date=February 18, 1959}} As a result, Allen took control of the stations in 1952 with the broadcast license transferred to a new company called KGAE, Inc.{{cite book |title=1953 Broadcasting Yearbook-Marketbook |year=1953 |page=250 |chapter=Directory of AM and FM Stations and Market Data for the United States |publisher=Broadcasting Publications, Inc |location=Washington, DC}} Allen remained president but Hal Davis took over the general manager duties.

In 1956, the station's call sign was changed to KGAY and the name of the license holding company was changed to KGAY, Inc., with W. Gordon Allen still in control.{{cite book |title=1957 Broadcasting Yearbook-Marketbook |year=1957 |page=220 |chapter=Directory of AM and FM Stations and Market Data for the United States |publisher=Broadcasting Publications, Inc |location=Washington, DC}} That same year, KGAY was authorized to increase the power of its broadcast signal to 5,000 watts, although it was still restricted to daytime operation.

After a succession of station managers through the 1950s, W. Gordon Allen resumed the general manager duties in 1959.{{cite book |title=1960 Broadcasting Yearbook |year=1960 |chapter=Directory of AM and FM Radio stations in the U.S. |publisher=Broadcasting Publications, Inc |location=Washington, DC}}{{rp|A-214}} By this time Allen, who owned a two-thirds interest in flagship KGAY, had also acquired a 70% interest in KGAL in Lebanon, Oregon, and a 48% interest in KMAT in Winnsboro, Louisiana, as part of his W. Gordon Allen Stations group.{{rp|B-43}}

After nearly a decade of ownership, W. Gordon Allen and KGAY, Inc., agreed to sell the station to a company known as Radio Wonderful Willametteland, Inc.{{cite book |title=1961-62 Broadcasting Yearbook |year=1962 |page=B-138 |chapter=Directory of AM and FM Radio Stations in the U.S. |publisher=Broadcasting Publications, Inc |location=Washington, DC}} The deal was consummated on July 1, 1961. Glen M. Stadler took the title of general manager while Robert Bruce was named station manager. Stadler owned a one-third interest in KGAY, as did his partners Harry Rubenstein and Alex Dreier.{{cite book |title=1961-62 Broadcasting Yearbook |year=1962 |page=B-226 |chapter=Group Ownership |publisher=Broadcasting Publications, Inc |location=Washington, DC}} The three men also owned equal shares in KGAL in Lebanon, Oregon. Stadler was the sole owner of KEED and KEED-FM in the area of Springfield-Eugene, Oregon. By the end of the 1960s, KGAY, Inc. was wholly owned by Glen Stadler and his wife, Helen N. Stadler, who also served as vice president of the company.{{cite book |title=1969 Broadcasting Yearbook |year=1969 |page=B-140 |chapter=The Facilities of Radio |publisher=Broadcasting Publications, Inc |location=Washington, DC}}

In 1968, the Stadlers announced their intention to retire from radio to "enter the academic field" and so they put KGAY up for sale.{{cite news |year=1968 |title=Broadcasting |publisher=Cahners Publishing Company |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HS0oAAAAMAAJ&q=KGAY |page=74}} They contracted to sell the station to Capitol Equities, Inc., for a reported cash price of $175,000. The deal closed on August 15, 1968, and Donald H. Cushing took over as president of the company with Leslie J. Manning as general manager.{{cite book |title=1971 Broadcasting Yearbook |chapter=The Facilities of Radio |publisher=Broadcasting Publications, Inc |location=Washington, DC |year=1971 |page=B-172}}{{cite book |title=Oregon Blue Book |publisher=Office of the Secretary of State of Oregon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_HYNAAAAIAAJ&q=KGAY+1430 |year=1973}} By 1970, the station was airing a pure country & western music format. They would maintain this focus on country music throughout the 1970s.{{cite book |title=1979 Broadcasting Yearbook |chapter=The Facilities of Radio |publisher=Broadcasting Publications, Inc |location=Washington, DC |year=1979 |page=C-182}}{{cite magazine |magazine=Billboard |title=Country Music Sourcebook |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PyQEAAAAMBAJ&q=KGAY+1430&pg=PT73 |date=July 7, 1979 |page=49}}{{Synthesis inline|date=May 2025|sure=}}

In April 1985, the station applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to make major changes to its licensed operation. It wanted to add nighttime service with 5,000 watts of power, add a directional antenna array to the new nighttime signal, and change the legal community of license from Salem to nearby Keizer, Oregon.{{cite web |publisher=FCC Media Bureau |title=Application Search Details (BP-19850429AD) |url=http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=77925 |date=September 18, 1985}}{{Dead link|date=May 2025 |fix-attempted=yes |url=}} The FCC granted a new construction permit to authorize these changes on September 18, 1985, and, after one extension, the station received its license to cover these changes on January 16, 1987.{{cite web |publisher=FCC Media Bureau |title=Application Search Details (BL-19860917AA) |url=http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=92232 |date=January 16, 1987}}{{Dead link|date=May 2025 |fix-attempted=yes |url=}}

While these changes were underway, the station was assigned the KYKN call sign by the FCC on May 15, 1986.{{cite web |title=Call Sign History |url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=72474&Callsign=KYKN |work=FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database |accessdate=May 16, 2009}} The station slogan was "Kickin Country". The station remained a country music format until it switched to news/talk in the spring of 1991. DJ Tim O'Brian (Tim Hay) signed off the country music format with "The Last Cowboy Song" by Ed Bruce on Sunday, May 5, 1991 at midnight. The Station signed on at 5:00 am Monday, broadcasting CNN Headline News.

In April 1991, Capitol Equities Corporation reached an agreement to sell KYKN to Willamette Broadcasting Company, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on August 1, 1991, and the transaction was consummated on September 18, 1991.{{cite web |publisher=FCC Media Bureau |title=Application Search Details (BAL-19910419EB) |url=http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=159368 |date=September 18, 1991}}

Notable former hosts include Bill Post, who suspended his talk show in 2014 due to a competitive political race.{{Cite web |last=Gaston |first=Christian |date=2014-03-11 |title=Oregon House candidate Bill Post suspends radio show, opponent charges FCC, election violations |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2014/03/oregon_house_candidate_bill_po.html |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=OregonLive |language=en-US}}

• List of radio stations in Oregon

{{Reflist|2}}

{{AM station data|72474|KYKN}}

{{Salem Albany Corvallis Radio}}

{{News/Talk Radio Stations in Oregon}}

YKN

Category:News and talk radio stations in the United States

Category:Radio stations established in 1951

Category:Keizer, Oregon

Category:1951 establishments in Oregon

Category:Conservative talk radio