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KJAN first went on the air in September of 1950 and was owned by George
Basil Anderson. In the early days, KJAN was a daytime station, which
means it was only authorized to operate
from sunrise to sunset. At that time, the station was programmed primarily
with religious content. The staff in those early days included five
employees.
Frank Miller of Atlantic joined the staff in 1951. This was a period
of great change and growth for KJAN. E.G. "Red" Faust and Bob Einhaus
joined the staff in 1955. The three of them formed the Nishna Valley
Broadcasting Company, which owned and operated KJAN for 30 years. Miller
served as General Manager, Faust as Sales Manager, and Einhaus as News
and Program Director.
Changes during this period included the addition of a new frequency
at 103.7 FM. The
facilities, which are located on the north edge of Atlantic, were remodeled
and enlarged a number of times to accommodate more equipment and a larger
staff. The tower was enlarged and the FM, which began at 27,000 watts,
was increased to 100,000 watts. Additional equipment was purchased to
continue the station's commitment to being a local news and sports leader
in southwest Iowa.
The retirement of Miller, Faust, and Einhaus in 1985, lead to the sale
of Nishna Valley Broadcasting to a company called Valley Broadcasting.
Former Atlantic resident John Car l
and Former Sales manager Bob Bebensee headed Valley Broadcasting. They
sold KJAN AM/FM to an Omaha company in 1987. KJAN AM was then purchased
from the Omaha company by Wireless Communications Corporation in 1988.
Wireless Communications Corporation is an Atlantic-based group of investors,
whose main interest is the operation of KJAN. Current investors include
J.C. Van Ginkel, Merlyn Christensen, Bob Einhaus, Jim Field, and Rod
Christensen.
No matter
how many changes seemed to take place since 1950, today, KJAN has the
same focus that it had when it was founded. We take a tremendous amount
of pride in the trust and respect that has been given us by our listeners.
KJAN continues to be the station that people turn to for LOCAL news,
sports, weather, and farm information. We are committed to being there
for our listeners. Through floods, ice storms, fires, and tornadoes,
KJAN has been there to bring the latest information to the area in a
quick, and accurate manner. Sports coverage continues to focus on the
achievements of area high school athletes, with a mix of pro and college
favorites. Weather coverage is the most complete in the area. We are
the National Weather Service cooperative observer for Atlantic, keeping
all the weather records, and our series of stringers in the area makes
us "The Nishna Valley's Official Weather
Station."
KJAN, "The Station Where Your Friends Are," is a proud part of the
area's past and committed to being a strong part of southwest Iowa's
future!
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