KFPW (AM)

Last updated
KFPW
Broadcast area Fort Smith, Arkansas
Frequency 1230 kHz
BrandingThe Marshal 1230 AM
Programming
Format Talk
Ownership
OwnerPharis Broadcasting, Inc.
KFPW-FM
History
First air date
 1924
Technical information
Facility ID 23868
Class C
Power 1,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates
 35°23′30″N94°19′54″W / 35.39167°N 94.33167°W / 35.39167; -94.33167
Links
Webcast Listen Live
Website kfpwam.com

KFPW (1230 AM, "The Marshal") is a radio station broadcasting a talk radio format to the Fort Smith, Arkansas, area. The station is licensed to Pharis Broadcasting, Inc which is owned by William L. Pharis and Karen A. Pharis. [1]

Contents

History

From Missouri to Arkansas (1924–1928)

In May 1924, Rev. Lannie Wright Stewart began KFPW from the parsonage at his church, St. John Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in Carterville, Missouri. It had a 20-watt transmitter (common then, but considered low power by modern standards), on 1160 kHz frequency. Its slogan was "Keeping Pace with Christ Means Progress" and it broadcast only a few hours each week, with popular programming and Stewart's Sunday morning church service. [2] [3] [4]

It was supported by donations from John Brown College (now John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas). [5]

John Brown University (1928–1930)

In 1928, John Elward Brown had two schools in Arkansas: John Brown College in Siloam Springs, and John Brown University in Sulphur Springs. The two towns are 20 miles (32 km) apart. The College hired Stewart to head a new Department of Instruction and Broadcast, and he moved the station's equipment to Sulphur Springs, and then to Siloam Springs. The license was issued to John Brown College with Stewart named as the manager. [5] [6] [7] [8]

Ten months after moving to Siloam Springs, Stewart filed another request to move the station back to Carterville. There were conflicting claims on the ownership of the equipment. The Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. investigated (Lannie W. Stewart v. Commission, No. 5158), and the case was voluntarily dismissed with the station licensed to John Brown schools, to operate on 1340 kHz, with 50 watts power, during daytime hours. [5] [9] [10]

Wright retired from the ministry due to a throat ailment, and moved to Nashville, Tennessee to run a gas station. Brown sold the radio station. [11]

Goldman Hotel (1930–1950)

Siloam Springs and Sulphur Springs were rural areas, and the radio transmission was not powerful enough to reach many people, so Brown sold the station [12] in 1930 to Goldman Hotel, which was owned by Southwestern Hotels Company. In about 1930, KFPW's tower was moved to 1213 Garrison St., Fort Smith Arkansas. In 1932, its frequency changed from 1340 to 1210 kHz, power increased to 100 watts, and it was allowed unlimited broadcast times instead of just daytime hours. [13] [14]

The Goldman Hotel was known for its expensive hotel rooms and offices, with spaces big enough to host conventions and professional organizations, and dances held in the evenings with live orchestras. KFPW broadcast the live music from the top floors of the hotel. [15]

Griffin Grocery Company (1950–1958)

One of KFPW's advertisers was Griffin Grocery Company, which advertised Polar Bear coffee. In the 1940s, J.T. Griffin bought KOMA and KTUL and had affilated with Columbia Broadcasting Company (CBS). KFPW was Griffin's third station, paying $50,000 (equivalent to about $650,000 in 2024) for the station and then moving the station to a new building. They bought it to promote Polar Bear Coffee with shows like "Polar Bear Coffee News". KFPW also became a CBS affiliate, which brought a wider audience: Griffin Grocery claimed to have 100% distribution of Polar Bear Coffee in Fort Smith by 1952, which they attributed to their radio advertising. [16] [17] [18]

George Hernreich (1958–2003)

In 1958, Griffin Grocery sold KFPW to George T. Hernreich, a local businessman who owned Esquire Jewelers, which primarily sold and repaired watches for military personnel stationed at Camp Chaffee. Hernreich paid $75,000 (equivalent to about $805,000 in 2024) for the station, at about the same time he sold his 50% interest in KNAC-TV. [18] [19] [20] [21]

After Hernreich's death, KFPW was sold briefly to Prime, LLC, and then sold to Pharis Broadcasting.

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References

  1. ↑ "AM Station Profile: KFPW, Ownership Reports". Licensing & Databases Public Inspection File. US Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  2. ↑ "Radiophone Broadcasting Stations". Radio Digest: 31. 10 May 1924. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  3. ↑ "Radiophone Broadcasting Stations". Radio Digest: 23. 14 June 1924. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  4. ↑ "Time Table Indexed Alphabetically by Call Letters". Radio Review Combined with Radio Listeners' Guide and Call Book. 1 (10). September 1926. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 Frost, S.E. (1937). Education's Own Stations: The History of Broadcast Licenses Issued to Educational Institutions. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. pp. 140–141. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  6. ↑ "Broadcasting Stations, by Call Signs". Radio Service Bulletin (135). Radio Division of the US Dept. of Commerce. 30 June 1928. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  7. ↑ "Conditional Renewal Granted 46 Stations by Radio Commission". The United States Daily: 2. 7 May 1929. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  8. ↑ "Complete Call Book and Log of All Stations". Radio Digest Illustrated. XXIV (1). November 1929. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  9. ↑ "Appeals from Radio Decisions"". The Journal of Air Law. 1 (3): 311. July 1930. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  10. ↑ "Court Gets Station Moving Too Often". The Washington Post. 6 April 1930. p. A5. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  11. ↑ "Rites today for man found dead: Poison test being made in death here of L. W. Stewart". Nashville Tennessean. 26 May 1936. p. 18. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  12. ↑ Williams, Earl R. (1971). John Brown University: Its Founder and Its Founding 1919-1957 (EdD thesis). University of Arkansas.
  13. ↑ "Radio Permits Granted, Denied and Hearings Set". The United States Daily. 5 (55): 8. 6 May 1930. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  14. ↑ "Actions of the Federal Radio Commission, April 1 to April 14 Inclusive". Broadcasting: 33. 15 April 1932. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  15. ↑ Boulden, Ben. "The Lost Hotel". Fort Smith Historical Society. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  16. ↑ "Coffee News: KFPW Marks Milestone" (PDF). Broadcasting: 94. 22 December 1952. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  17. ↑ Faulk, Odie B. (1991). Quality and Spirit: The Griffin Heritage in Oklahoma. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Oklahoma Heritage Association. ISBN   0-86546-080-9 . Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  18. 1 2 Patton, J. Fred (1992). History of Fort Smith, Arkansas, 1817 through 1992. N. Little Rock, Arkansas: Prestige Press, Inc. ISBN   0-9614629-1-4 . Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  19. ↑ "Griffin Selling KFPW". Advertising Age. 29 (15): 36. 7 April 1958. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  20. ↑ Transcript of Record, Southwestern Publishing Co. v. Federal Communications Commission (D.C. Cir. 1956). United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. 21 December 1956. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  21. ↑ "Clips from the Current Press". Television Digest with Electronics Reports. 14 (19): 9. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
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