KRLC radio poised to go silent for now
Aug. 31—A decades-old Lewiston radio station known for its homespun local content is going off the air for an unknown amount of time.
Operating KRLC Hometown Radio at 1350 AM and 93.1 FM isn't possible after Thursday evening because the lease is expiring for the land where its tower is located on Stewart Avenue near its intersection with Thain Road, said Angie McVey, a managing partner of McVey Entertainment Group.
Moving the 150-foot-tall tower and its antennae is an extremely costly and time-consuming process, she said.
The AM signal of KRLC is tethered to the physical location of the tower and Federal Communications Commission rules prohibit separating it from the FM signal, McVey said.
Both frequencies carry the same mix of music, news, sports and advertising that air on identical schedules.
"We are so sorry to disappoint our loyal audience, and we understand how much you will miss KRLC," according to a social media post from McVey Entertainment Group.
Some of KRLC's programming, such as Opinion Please and Seattle Mariners baseball, will be transferred as soon as possible to another McVey Entertainment Group station, KOZE 95.5 FM and 950 AM, McVey said.
Classic country music disc jockey Toe Tappin' Tommy Tucker and morning show host Keith Warnock will be on hiatus along with Call-In Classifieds, a weekday 30-minute segment where individuals bought and sold items.
"I know people are going to miss them," she said.
Possibilities such as streaming KRLC Hometown Radio are being explored, but how soon they might be available is not known yet.
"We can't speculate," McVey said. "We don't have a date."
KRLC debuted in 1935. McVey Entertainment Group acquired KRLC, The River 105.1 FM and Canyon Country 106.9 FM from Ida-Vend Broadcasting in 2021.
Aside from moving Opinion Please and the Seattle Mariners to KOZE, the changes at KRLC have no impact on McVey Entertainment Group's other stations, which include Z-Rock 96.5 FM, McVey said.
Like KRLC, transmitters for Canyon Country and The River were located on the Stewart Avenue site. That equipment was moved to the McVey Entertainment Group's offices on Snake River Avenue, something that was possible because the FM stations don't have towers, she said.
"KRLC falls under different (FCC) rules because its main signal originates from an AM transmitter," according to a news release from McVey Entertainment Group.
Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.