KVNU first signed on in 1938 and was owned by the family of Herschel Bullen until 1996.
History
On 1200 kHz (1938–1941)
Following a construction permit issued February 19, 1938, KVNU first signed on on November 17, 1938, with a broadcast originating at Brigham Young College.[2] KVNU originally broadcast at 1200 kHz at 100 watts.[3] It was owned by the Cache Valley Broadcasting Company, led by S.L. Billings and other Salt Lake City entrepreneurs; Herschel Bullen and his son Reed became stockholders of KVNU's parent company.[4] In its early years, KVNU had a full service format of news, music, and entertainment and had studios at the Capitol Theatre in Logan.[5][2][6]
In 1940, KVNU increased its power from 100 to 250 watts.[3][7]
By 1945, the Bullens had become majority owners of the Cache Valley Broadcasting Company, with Herschel leading the company and Reed moving up from station general manager to company general manager to company director.[4] Reed hosted Man on the Street, a daily 12:15 p.m. live broadcast from a local jewelry business soliciting opinions from members of the public.[9] KVNU also joined the Mutual Broadcasting System by 1945.[10]
In 1961, KVNU raised its power from 1 kW to 5 kW.[3] Through the 1960s and 1970s, KVNU was a Top 40 station and an affiliate of the ABC Contemporary Network.[15][16] In the 1970s, the daytime power was doubled to 10,000 watts.
The Broadcasting Yearbook 1980 listed KVNU as an MOR formatted station.[17] By 1985, KVNU changed its format to adult contemporary.[18] In the late 1980s, KVNU added talk shows to its schedule, with the Broadcasting Yearbook 1987 listing KVNU as an NBC Talknet affiliate.[19]
Reed Bullen retired as KVNU manager in 1986 and transferred the station to his son Jonathan. Then in 1996, the Bullen family sold KVNU to the Cache Valley Media Group.[4] By 1998, KVNU phased out music and became a news/talk station.[20] The 2001 KVNU schedule included local news shows, The Rush Limbaugh Show, and ESPN Radio.[21]
In May 2017, Utah State discontinued its decades-long partnership with KVNU and changed its flagship station to KZNS in Salt Lake City.[22] Utah State student radio station KBLU-LP became the Logan affiliate of the Utah State network.[23][24] In July 2023, KVNU returned to the Utah State sports network.[25]
^ abMcCutcheon, Pat (November 14, 1988). "Celebrating 50 years over the airwaves". The Herald Journal. pp. 8–9. Retrieved February 26, 2024 – via Utah Digital Newspapers.