Increasing the Local Commitment of KGHL AM-790
2012 marked the second year of KGHL Radio, LLC, the brand-new company that began operating KGHL as a stand-alone AM radio station. At the start of the year we moved to new studios at the Northern Broadcasting System, and started aggressively increasing the focus on community service for listeners of this powerful, full-service, heritage radio station.
* * * * *
George Jones - As the Classic Country Music station in Billings, KGHL was proud to welcome George Jones in concert February 29th, and gave away tickets at a live remote at Shipton’s Big R.
Summer of ’84 - Starting with a special 84th Anniversary Open House barbeque on June 8th, (the date that KGHL signed on as Billings’ first radio station in 1928) KGHL proclaimed a season-long celebration dubbed the “Summer of ’84”. All summer long, listeners won prizes and free tickets, and concert packages and more!
- Saturday June 23rd, with David Allan Coe is at the Shrine Auditorium, KGHL’s Lonnie Bell arranged the opening act, ten-year-old Hannah Clemenson from Roundup. Hannah appeared and played on Lonnie’s show earlier this year, and though blind since birth, she is a great talent.
-
Our Morning Announcer Nick Tyler was the Parade Marshal for the Parkman Days parade in Parkman, Wyoming. Taylor and Shannon Brown were in the parades at Colstrip Days, Hysham and Custer Independence Day parades, and Homesteader Days parade in Huntley
-
June 27 KGHL promoted the benefit for Chase Hawks/MT Pro-Rodeo Wall of Fame’s Rocky Mountain Oyster Feed at the Rex Restaurant, some of the oysters came from Taylor’s LO Bar Ranch.
- On July 3rd, KGHL’s Lonnie Bell was invited on stage in Roundup to welcome Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel for a great outdoor concert in the park.
- July 7 was the Zoograss Concert at Zoo Montana. KGHL was proud to be work alongside Jeff Ewalt and the staff at Zoo Montana as they brought back this popular event. The Marshall Tucker Band was the headline act.
- July 10, KGHL's own Lonnie Bell broadcast live from the Muzzle Loader Café where he gave away special tickets to the Darryl Worley and David Lee Murphy concert at the Rosebud Treasure County Fair in Forsyth.
- On July 13 The Bellamy Brothers headlined at Homesteader Days in Huntley. KGHL provided tickets for our listeners to win, and participated in the two-day celebration of the Huntley Project.
- On July 21, KGHL chartered a motorcoach that we nicknamed the “Lonnie Bell Express”, escorted by Lonnie and KTVQ's Ed MacIntosh, and Ray and Vickie Massie treating a busload of our sponsors and listeners to a delightful day at the Rosebud-Treasure County Fair in Forsyth including special reserved seating at the Darryl Worley and David Lee Murphy concert!
- The most devastating Wildfire Season in a century started the last week of June with huge simultaneous fires near Roundup and Ashland. KGHL began providing hourly information about Emergency Shelters and disaster services, and daily phone updates from the affected communities.
- To help keep up with local communities in our 20-County coverage area, we launched a new twice-daily “Community Spotlight” interview program, encouraging local community leaders to call-in and share the news and events from communities like Hardin, Ryegate, Busby, Roundup, Colstrip, Huntley, Columbus, Bridger, and others.
July:
- Working with the Yellowstone County Museum, KGHL promoted the “National Day of the American Cowboy” with a concert and benefit dance on July 28th.
- Celebrating Lewis and Clark at “Clark Days” at Pompey’s Pillar, Lonnie Bell broadcast LIVE from the national monument in a special remote event!
August:
- In a Live 90-minute remote broadcast from MontanaFair Junior Livestock Sale, seven members of station staff broadcast 18 interviews, celebrating 4-H and FFA youth in from of the 900 people who attended the Buyers Lunch at the Expo Center before the sale.
September:
- In September KGHL as the local station for MSU Bobcat Football, KGHL was proud to kick off the season with the ‘Cats ranked as a top team in the entire nation! Again this year we organized a “Big Spring Water - Bobcat Fun Bus" providing transportation and football game tickets to the Ag Appreciation Weekend on October 27th when MSU hosted the University of North Dakota!
October:
- October 17th KGHL’s own Karen Gallagher was on stage to welcome Lorrie Morgan and Pam Tillis to the Alberta Bair Theatre. Gallagher organized a special on-line promotion through the Mighty790.com website for listeners to win tickets, backstage passes, and a glamorous “Something in Red” jewelry piece from Goldsmith Gallery Jewelers!
- KGHL again sponsored the NILE Ranch Rodeo, airing special interviews with local cowboys on the Ranch Teams, providing a station welcome to the audience from the floor of the Metra, and giving tickets away each morning for our listeners.
- Live on-air broadcast by Taylor Brown and Karen Gallagher of the first-ever NILE “Lou Taubert Ranch Outfitter’s Cattle Drive and Parade” on October 20, that brought live cattle, horses, chuckwagons, and stagecoaches through downtown Billings!
- Supporting breast cancer survivors KGHL promoted the “Pack the Place in Pink” volleyball game for this important cause. KGHL’s Karen Gallagher took a leadership role in publicity and gathering special prizes for the fundraising event.
- In a special Volunteer Firefighters Appreciation Dinner on October 30, Taylor Brown and Ray Massie help Yellowstone County host a special evening at Rimrock Auto Arena for hundreds of local volunteers from Fire Departments of four counties! KGHL raised money, promoted the event, the emcee, and the music for a very special evening.
- KGHL sponsored the Loretta Lynn Concert at the Alberta Bair on October 30th, with a special welcome by Lonnie Bell, who was instrumental in helping launch Loretta’s early career.
* * * * *
Plus Programming additions!
We’ve added more popular shows…like Rick Jackson’s 3-hour “Country Hall of Fame” show Sunday’s at 1:00,…the “Chronicle of the Old West” show by Dakota Livesay every weekday, as well the hour-long weekly “Chronicle of the Old West” show on Sundays at 4:00,…plus more daily “RoadWatch Montana” updates by Jon Arneson,…along with the daily “Montana Economic Minute” by Dr. Pat Barkey, and more!
