| Name 1 | KMUN |
|---|---|
| Name 2 | KTCB |
| City 1 | Astoria, Oregon |
| City 2 | Tillamook, Oregon |
| Country | US |
| Area | Northern Oregon Coast Range |
| Branding | Coast Community Radio |
| Airdate 1 | April 17, 1983 |
| Airdate 2 | 2004 |
| Format | Public radio |
| Erp 1 | 7,200 watts |
| Erp 2 | 380 watts |
| Haat 1 | 332 meters (1,089 ft) |
| Haat 2 | 351 meters (1,152 ft) |
| Class 1 | C2 |
| Class 2 | A |
| Facility id 1 | 67107 |
| Facility id 2 | 93286 |
| Coordinates 1 | 46°15′45.3″N 123°53′13.5″W |
| Coordinates 2 | 45°27′58.4″N 123°55′15.5″W |
| Affiliations | National Public Radio, Pacifica Radio Network |
| Callsign meaning 1 | From "community"[1] |
| Owner | Tillicum Foundation |
| Sister stations | KCPB-FM |
| Website | kmun.org |
| Licensing authority | FCC |
| Above | Currently silent |
|---|---|
| City | Warrenton, Oregon |
| Country | US |
| Area | North Oregon Coast |
| Branding | Coast Community Radio |
| Airdate | April 17, 2006 |
| Format | Public radio |
| Erp | 240 watts |
| Haat | 341 meters (1,119 ft) |
| Class | A |
| Facility id | 93685 |
| Coordinates | 46°15′45.3″N 123°53′13.5″W |
| Affiliations | National Public Radio, Pacifica Radio Network |
| Owner | Tillicum Foundation |
| Sister stations | KMUN |
| Website | kmun.org/kcpb |
| Licensing authority | FCC |
KMUN (91.9 MHz) is a community and public radio station in Astoria, Oregon, serving the Northern Oregon Coast Range. The station is owned by the Tillicum Foundation, alongside classical music and news station KCPB-FM 90.9, and maintains studios in Tillicum House on Exchange Street in Astoria. Three low-power translators and KTCB (89.5 FM) in Tillamook extend the signal south. KMUN features a block radio format with news, public affairs, and music programming.
History
The Tillicum Foundation was incorporated in 1977 with the goal of bringing a local radio station to Astoria.[2] In the early 1980s, a plan gestated to bring a community radio station to Astoria. On November 10, 1981, the station received its construction permit. Because Astoria was not in range of public radio at the time, the station was a high priority for grants from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. After getting the permit, volunteers of the nascent KMUN reached out to Portland community radio station KBOO for assistance; at one point, it was thought that KMUN might rebroadcast part of KBOO's broadcast day because of a potential lack of local interest,[3] but it was not feasible to relay KBOO's signal from Portland over remote terrain to Astoria.[4]
KMUN began broadcasting on April 17, 1983.[4] The original transmitter facility was on Megler Mountain,[4] where KMUN erected a donated 60-foot (18-metre) timber telephone pole.[3] Originally reaching only the Astoria area, the station expanded down the Oregon Coast in 1986 with the addition of translators relaying its signal.[4] KMUN's studios were originally in the Gunderson Building until a supporter bought a house on Exchange Street in 1987 and donated it to the Tillicum Foundation; the station needed to relocate so it could install a satellite dish to receive NPR programming.[2][4] Its programming was nearly entirely volunteer-produced; there were 30 volunteers when the station launched, about 70 by 1988,[2] and 250 in 2003.[5] In 2003, the station launched a local news department, building a newsroom in place of a decaying porch at Tillicum House.[4] The Tillamook translator was replaced in 2004 by the higher-power KTCB,[6] in part to prevent the translator from being displaced by any future stations.[7]
KCPB-FM began operating April 17, 2006, the 23rd anniversary of KMUN's sign-on.[8] It featured a format of mostly national programming, primarily classical music, with music scheduled at times when KMUN had talk programming and vice versa. The creation of KCPB-FM resolved tensions among KMUN listeners over whether to air more national programming from NPR. It provided much of the service previously offered by a fringe signal from KPLU-FM in Tacoma, Washington, which was about to go away, and cable radio's offering of Oregon Public Broadcasting, which had recently been discontinued.[9] Much of the equipment was previously used by KMUN prior to a technical upgrade.[10]
KMUN stayed on the air during the Great Coastal Gale of 2007 despite having a large elm tree crash into the studio building.[11]
On October 1, 2025, Tillicum suspended the operations of KCPB-FM, citing "ongoing funding challenges" (including the U.S. government pulling funding from public media), as well as a desire to "reset" the station and relaunch it at a later date with "alternate programming sources". The suspension is projected to last twelve months.[12]
See also
References
- ^ Wills, Kendall J. (July 27, 1988). "Astoria Journal; A Radio Station Returns to Its Roots". The New York Times
- ^ McClelland, John (June 30, 1988). "Volunteers add variety to KMUNity radio". Longview Daily News. p. C1. Retrieved December 31, 2024. – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wood, Sharon M. (December 10, 1985). "Coast radio station gets power from community volunteers". The Oregonian. p. B6. Retrieved December 31, 2024. – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Romano, Benjamin (April 17, 2003). "On air 20 years, KMUN celebrates". The Daily Astorian
- ^ "Coast Index: Two decades of community radio". The Daily Astorian. April 18, 2003.
- ^ "KMUN works to serve listeners in Tillamook". The Daily Astorian. August 25, 2004.
- ^ "KMUN fund-raiser will boost Tillamook presence". The Daily Astorian. August 13, 2003.
- ^ "New radio station airs on North Coast today". The Daily Astorian. April 17, 2006.
- ^ "New radio station to hit airwaves". The Daily Astorian. December 28, 2005.
- ^ Swain, Sandra (March 25, 2005). "KMUN, OPB work to enrich coastal airwaves". The Daily Astorian
- ^ Henley, Gary (December 7, 2007). "'It's a bloody miracle we're still on the air' - KMUN staff, volunteers glue the community together in a crisis". The Daily Astorian
- ^ Venta, Lance (2025-09-30). "KCPB-FM Signs Off With Federal Funding Loss". RadioInsight. Retrieved 2025-10-02.