KJJR

KJJR
Broadcast area
Kalispell, Montana
Frequency880 kHz
BrandingNews Talk 880 AM 107.9 FM
Programming
FormatNews/talk
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerBee Broadcasting, Inc.
History
First air date
February 14, 1979 (1979-02-14)
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
4578
ClassB
Power
  • 10,000 watts day
  • 500 watts night
Transmitter coordinates
48°23′43.9″N 114°19′14.5″W / 48.395528°N 114.320694°W / 48.395528; -114.320694
Translator107.9 K300DK (Whitefish)
Links
Public license information
Webcaststreamdb8web.securenetsystems.net/cirruscontent/KJJR
Websitekjjr.com

KJJR (880 AM, "News Talk 880") is a radio station licensed to serve Whitefish, Montana, United States. Bee Broadcasting, Inc. owns the station and airs in a news/talk format.

History

The station first signed on the air on February 14, 1979, originally broadcasting on the frequency of 1400 kHz as a Class IV local station. It was established by Benny Bee, Sr., who launched the station with a Top 40 and "country gold" format that focused heavily on local personalities and community news. In 1985, the station underwent a major technical upgrade, moving from the crowded 1400 kHz local channel to its current "clear-channel" position at 880 kHz. This move allowed KJJR to increase its daytime power to 10,000 watts, significantly expanding its coverage area across the Flathead Valley and into British Columbia, Canada. Because 880 AM is a clear-channel frequency dominated by WHSQ (formerly WCBS) in New York City, KJJR must reduce its power at night to avoid skywave interference.The station's original call letters were selected by Program Director Dave Shannon as an homage to the legendary KJR in Seattle. The station airs syndicated talk shows hosted from Dan Bongino, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Michael Savage, Ben Shapiro, Joe Pags, and Bill Cunningham.

Tests

KJJR has gained a unique reputation among radio hobbyists due to its modern DX tests, which use the station’s high-power daytime signal to reach listeners across the globe during early morning "maintenance" windows.

On January 8, 2022, KJJR conducted a high-profile DX test arranged primarily by Chief Engineer Todd Clark. The test utilized the station's full 10,000-watt daytime power and non-directional pattern at midnight local time, allowing the signal to skip far beyond its normal footprint.

The 2022 test yielded reception reports from across the globe, reaching as far as Finland, where it was logged from a distance of 4,346 miles. Additional "armchair copy" reports came from Sweden and Norway, where DXers utilized massive Beverage antennas nearly 3,000 feet (914 m) in length to isolate the Montana signal. Domestic hobbyists in Alabama and New Mexico reported success, using Software-Defined Radios (SDR) to visually identify the Morse Code IDs on waterfall displays despite the presence of heavy local interference.

All Bee Broadcasting stations are based at 2431 Highway 2 East, Kalispell, Montana. The Federal Communications Commission assigned the station the KJJR call letters. AM 880 is a clear-channel frequency in the United States, and WHSQ in New York City is the dominant and only Class A station.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for KJJR". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ "Winter 2008 Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  3. ↑ "FCC History Cards for KJJR (Facility ID 4596)". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  4. ↑ Michaels, John. "John Michaels Obituary - The Voice of the Whitefish Bulldogs". 106.3 The Bear. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  5. ↑ "AM Station Query: KJJR". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  6. ↑ "DX News - National Radio Club Volume 89 Issue 9" (PDF). National Radio Club. 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  7. ↑ "880 AM - Clear-Channel Designations". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  8. ↑ "BIG SKY SURPRISE - KJJR 880 DX Test Results" (PDF). World Radio History. September 16, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  9. ↑ "CPC DX Test QSL Report KJJR 880 Whitefish, Montana". UltralightDX. July 5, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  10. ↑ "KJJR 880/KSEN 1150 DX Test". RadioReference. November 2, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  11. ↑ "CPC DX Test QSL Report KJJR 880 Whitefish, Montana". UltralightDX. July 5, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  12. ↑ "IRCA@groups.io Topics: KJJR-MT 880 DX Test". IRCA Groups.io. November 4, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Passing the DX test". DX Central. May 13, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.