KOPN
Encyclopedia
KOPN is a radio station
broadcasting a Variety
format. Licensed to Columbia, Missouri
, USA, the station serves the Columbia area. The station is currently owned by New Wave Corporation and features programing from National Public Radio and Public Radio International
.
History=
In November 1971 about a dozen people met in the offices of The Issue, an alternative newspaper in Columbia, Missouri, to discuss the need for a community radio station. Motivated by a mixture of 60's idealism and the conviction that conventional media outlets were ignoring news, viewpoints, music and people vital to the Columbia community, these radio pioneers chose to call the station KOPN to commemorate its openness to all.
In deciding to establish a listener-supported public radio station for Columbia, KOPN's founders drew upon a tradition that had begun in 1950 with Lew Hill's creation of KPFA for Berkeley, California. Hill had concluded that the broadcasts of existing radio stations and networks were narrow and homogeneous and did not serve the varied needs of Berkeley's diverse population. His ambition was to build a station that would be non-profit, non-institutional, listener-supported and would broadcast programming not heard elsewhere, produced by members of the community. Over the next decade, KPFA was joined by open-access, listener-supported stations in Los Angeles, New York, Washington and Houston in an affiliation called the Pacifica Foundation. In the late 60's, former KPFA personnel Jeremy Landsman and Lorenzo Milam came to the Midwest to create a listener-supported, open-access station in St. Louis: KDNA. The Columbians turned to Landsman and KDNA for advice in order to get KOPN off the ground and on the air.
After a year and a half of meetings and fundraisers for KOPN, an application for a non-profit, educational radio station was submitted to the FCC. The station's frequency was licensed to the New Wave Corporation, a not-for-profit, educational corporation, with an unpaid staff. On Saturday, March 3, 1973, KOPN began broadcasting a monaural signal at ten watts to central Columbia from a third-hand transmitter located in the elevator penthouse of Paquin Tower apartments. The studio was located in a cramped room rented from a crafts and food cooperative, upstairs at 915 East Broadway in the heart of downtown Columbia. The budget for March and April 1973 was $340.81, while $200 in subscriptions were received in March. Despite these humble beginnings, KOPN was only the eighth open-access, listener-supported station in the U.S. and the first to serve an audience of less than 100,000 people.
Since then, KOPN has grown in many ways, and in turn has helped Columbia to grow. Its studios have expanded; its wattage has increased; its audience has broadened; its expenses have appreciated. But more importantly, KOPN has provided Columbia with a wealth of programming not found anywhere else. It was the first source in Columbia for programming by and about women, African-Americans, seniors, children, rural citizens, environmentalists and many other populations often ignored by conventional local media. It introduced reggae, blues, bluegrass, Celtic, salsa, electronic and other music to a new audience in Columbia. Through its dedication to community voices, KOPN has trained more than 1,000 people in radio operations. It brings nationally syndicated alternative news and talk programs to Columbia. It has also resurrected radio drama for a new generation.
The station continues both to reflect and serve its community, and as for KOPN's future, the possibilities remain OPEN.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
broadcasting a Variety
Variety (radio)
The term variety as a radio format is loosely defined as a format that plays music across numerous genera.Freeform variety is associated with a wide range of programming including talk, sports, and music from a wide spectrum. This format is usually found on smaller, non-commercial...
format. Licensed to Columbia, Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
, USA, the station serves the Columbia area. The station is currently owned by New Wave Corporation and features programing from National Public Radio and Public Radio International
Public Radio International
Public Radio International is a Minneapolis-based American public radio organization, with locations in Boston, New York, London and Beijing. PRI's tagline is "Hear a different voice." PRI is a major public media content creator and also distributes programs from many sources...
.
History=
In November 1971 about a dozen people met in the offices of The Issue, an alternative newspaper in Columbia, Missouri, to discuss the need for a community radio station. Motivated by a mixture of 60's idealism and the conviction that conventional media outlets were ignoring news, viewpoints, music and people vital to the Columbia community, these radio pioneers chose to call the station KOPN to commemorate its openness to all.
In deciding to establish a listener-supported public radio station for Columbia, KOPN's founders drew upon a tradition that had begun in 1950 with Lew Hill's creation of KPFA for Berkeley, California. Hill had concluded that the broadcasts of existing radio stations and networks were narrow and homogeneous and did not serve the varied needs of Berkeley's diverse population. His ambition was to build a station that would be non-profit, non-institutional, listener-supported and would broadcast programming not heard elsewhere, produced by members of the community. Over the next decade, KPFA was joined by open-access, listener-supported stations in Los Angeles, New York, Washington and Houston in an affiliation called the Pacifica Foundation. In the late 60's, former KPFA personnel Jeremy Landsman and Lorenzo Milam came to the Midwest to create a listener-supported, open-access station in St. Louis: KDNA. The Columbians turned to Landsman and KDNA for advice in order to get KOPN off the ground and on the air.
After a year and a half of meetings and fundraisers for KOPN, an application for a non-profit, educational radio station was submitted to the FCC. The station's frequency was licensed to the New Wave Corporation, a not-for-profit, educational corporation, with an unpaid staff. On Saturday, March 3, 1973, KOPN began broadcasting a monaural signal at ten watts to central Columbia from a third-hand transmitter located in the elevator penthouse of Paquin Tower apartments. The studio was located in a cramped room rented from a crafts and food cooperative, upstairs at 915 East Broadway in the heart of downtown Columbia. The budget for March and April 1973 was $340.81, while $200 in subscriptions were received in March. Despite these humble beginnings, KOPN was only the eighth open-access, listener-supported station in the U.S. and the first to serve an audience of less than 100,000 people.
Since then, KOPN has grown in many ways, and in turn has helped Columbia to grow. Its studios have expanded; its wattage has increased; its audience has broadened; its expenses have appreciated. But more importantly, KOPN has provided Columbia with a wealth of programming not found anywhere else. It was the first source in Columbia for programming by and about women, African-Americans, seniors, children, rural citizens, environmentalists and many other populations often ignored by conventional local media. It introduced reggae, blues, bluegrass, Celtic, salsa, electronic and other music to a new audience in Columbia. Through its dedication to community voices, KOPN has trained more than 1,000 people in radio operations. It brings nationally syndicated alternative news and talk programs to Columbia. It has also resurrected radio drama for a new generation.
The station continues both to reflect and serve its community, and as for KOPN's future, the possibilities remain OPEN.