KARI (AM)
Christian talk and teaching | |
Ownership | |
---|---|
Owner |
|
KVRI, KXPA | |
History | |
First air date | February 12, 1960 |
Technical information | |
Facility ID | 5351 |
Class | B |
Power | 5,000 watts day 2,500 watts night |
Translator(s) | 95.7 K239CY (Blaine) |
Links | |
Webcast | Listen Live |
Website | www |
KARI (550
The
The station has a
History
On October 1, 1956, George A. Wilson and L. N. Ostrander, doing business as the Birch Bay Broadcasting Company, filed an application for a construction permit to build a new 500-watt, daytime-only radio station in Blaine, originally specifying 930 kHz.[3] It was dismissed, amended to specify 550 kHz, and reinstated in late 1957; a hearing examiner recommended its approval in 1958 as the first radio service for Blaine despite causing some minor interference to KVI,[4] and the FCC granted the permit on June 18, 1959.[3]
From a site on a field near Birch Bay, overlooking Drayton Harbor and White Rock, British Columbia,[5] KARI debuted on February 12, 1960.[6]
Soon after starting up, KARI filed to go full-time and increase power to 5,000 watts daytime and 1,000 watts nighttime. This was approved by the FCC in two steps: the daytime authorization in May 1963 and nighttime service in January 1964. On August 1, the improved facility was activated.[3][7] Birch Bay Broadcasting was also busy expanding its service. In 1962, it obtained a construction permit to build an FM station on Orcas Island,[8] which went on the air as KERI in July 1965.
From its first day on air, KARI (pronounced "carry") carried "an abundance of religious programs".[5] This made it a new offering to the vast majority of the listeners in its service area, across the border on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia; Canada did not permit religious radio stations until the mid-1990s. Within a year of starting up, KARI was a full-time religious station, a format it continues to maintain.[9] In addition to U.S. public affairs programming, it catered to the Canadian listener base by airing Canadian newscasts.[10]
In 2000, after 40 years of ownership, Birch Bay sold KARI to Way Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Multicultural Broadcasting, for $3 million. The sale also included an unbuilt construction permit for a station at 1600 kHz.[9]
References
- ^ Radio-Locator.com/KARI
- ^ "KARI 55AM - Weekday Schedule". www.kari55.com. Retrieved 2017-11-10.
- ^ a b c FCC History Cards for KARI
- ^ "Examiner Approves Blaine Radio Station". The Bellingham Herald. Bellingham, Washington. Associated Press. September 24, 1958. p. 10. Retrieved May 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Birch Bay Radio Station Ready". The Bellingham Herald. Bellingham, Washington. January 20, 1960. p. 3. Retrieved May 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Birch Bay Station Makes Debut on Air". The Bellingham Herald. Bellingham, Washington. February 12, 1960. p. 3. Retrieved May 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "More Power". The Bellingham Herald. Bellingham, Washington. August 3, 1964. p. 4. Retrieved May 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sedro Man Re-Appointed to State Apprentice Council". The Bellingham Herald. Bellingham, Washington. May 31, 1962. p. 7. Retrieved May 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Relyea, Kie (August 6, 2000). "Blaine station KARI AM sold for $3 million". The Bellingham Herald. Bellingham, Washington. p. E1, E2. Retrieved May 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Post, Carol (March 12, 1980). "It's happy birthday to you, KARI". The Bellingham Herald. Bellingham, Washington. p. 6E. Retrieved May 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
- Official website
- KARI in the FCC AM station database
- KARI in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- Facility details for Facility ID 202960 (K239CY) in the FCC Licensing and Management System