Celebrating 25 Years of Broadcasting By Millie Dunning
Gallup Public Radio KGLP 91.7 FM In the fall of 2017, Gallup Public Radio, KGLP 97.1 FM, Gallup’s first Public Radio Station, will celebrate 25 years of being on the air in Gallup, NM. This is by no means a small accomplishment. KGLP is a non-profit, non-commercial radio station located in Gurley Hall on the UNM-Gallup Campus through a licensing agreement with the university. KGLP broadcasts at 91.7 FM via a transmitter on Gibson Peak, as well as a satellite dish on top of Gurley Hall. In 1992, Octavia Fellin and a group of her friends felt that something was missing on the Gallup airwaves. Their vision was to start a public radio station that would present material which would be commercial-free, enhance intellect, expand knowledge, and deepen enjoyment of musical tastes of all cultures. That idea became the KGLP that we listen to today. Without UNM-Gallup, the station would never have become a reality. Once UNM donated space, the real work of constructing the station began. Frank
Sundrum, Jack Crowley, Jack Chapman, Bill Hawkins Smith, to name a few, started getting construction materials, equipment, and everything that a station would need. UNM students made racks and helped with construction. It quickly became a community project. Volunteers stepped in to help, and other broadcasters such as Clear Channel and Millennium Media assisted. Radio station KGAK was especially helpful by allowing KGLP to use their airwaves to raise money for the start-up. Imagine the excitement when the switch was thrown and KGLP was heard for the first time. When the station went on the air in September 1992 with 100 watts, the first station manager was Frank Sundrum, now GM at WVIK-FM, Rock Island, Illinois; he was followed by Jamie Hoover. Tom Funk was the Music Director. Frank Bosler worked on upgrades, first as a Board member, then as Station Manager in 2003. With his sudden departure in 2006, David Pracy, who was already on staff, agreed to run the station as Production Manager. When David was
forced to leave due to illness, there wasn’t anyone to replace him. Patrick Burnham, a producer at the time, stepped in to keep the station running as the Radio Technician. We are very grateful for the huge contribution from each of them. For the first 13 years, KGLP was broadcasting a repeating signal received from KSUT, an Ignacio, Colorado public radio station owned by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. They held the KGLP license until 2005 when that arrangement was ended and KGLP acquired its own license. That meant many changes in the operations of the station and adhering to the rules of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). With this new era in operations, more locally hosted shows were broadcasted, as well as network and syndicated shows. Public affairs programs and PSAs were aired. In 2006, KGLP applied to the Federal Communications Commission for an increase in signal strength to 880 watts, which was granted and widened the listening audience to include NW New Mexico and
