07 July 2004

Radio 620 on the Air America Network

Pete Schulberg, in the Portland Tribune, indicates that, three months out of the box, KPOJ 620 AM, our local Air America affiliate, is now doing even better that KPAM. Quite something for left-biased radio (which has been too long in coming).

It's fun listening to. They have a good time and the message is very convincing. It's also cool to be able to listen to Al Franken every day (especially "The Oy Oy Oy Show", which usually happens in the first half-hour of the O'Franken Factor).

And a little historical note: the call sign KPOJ is actually a blast from Portland's past; the old Oregon Journal, once our afternoon rag, had a building down on the waterfront back in the days we had a riverfront expressway (Southwest Harbor Drive) where Tom McCall Waterfront Park is now. Back then they had a house radio station called KPOJ...for K-Portland-Oregon-Journal.

Of course, just the mere concept of AM620 being under the same roof (on SW Macadam Ave) that KEX is is ironic. Now, they're both Clear Channel stations, but in the 70s and 80s they were crosstown rivals, and 620 was known as KGW, and live over at 15th and SW Jefferson...but boy howdy am I digressing.

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