KPOJ

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**KPOJ**

City of license	Portland, Oregon
Branding	AM620 KPOJ
Slogan	"Portland's Progressive Talk"
Frequency	620 (kHz)
Format	Progressive talk
ERP	25,000 watts (daytime), 10,000 watts (nighttime)
Class	B
Former callsigns	KTLK, KDBZ, KEWS, KOTK, KINK, KGW
Owner	Clear Channel Communications
Website	620kpoj.com

KPOJ (620 AM) is a radio station located in the Portland, Oregon area. They air a progressive talk format, and was an original Air America Radio affiliate.

1 History
2 Influence on other radio stations
3 The KPOJ on-air template
4 On-air schedule
5 External links

[edit] History

For many years, this station was KGW. In 1993,, the call letters changed to KINK, then KOTK in 1995, KEWS in 1997, KDBZ in 2000, and KTLK in 2002. The station picked up the current KPOJ call letters on August 18, 2003. For many years and with various formats, the station called itself "Super 62".

[edit] Influence on other radio stations

The station is noteworthy because it was the first Air America affiliate to be owned by Clear Channel Communications. And its schedule, which also features syndicated host Ed Schultz, has served as a template for progressive talk stations nationwide. KPOJ was the first station to call its format "Progressive Talk", a tag that is often used.

Prior to adopting the present format, KPOJ was a struggling oldies station, languishing at the bottom of the Portland Arbitron ratings. Immediately after picking up talk, KPOJ quadrupled their number of listeners, and in its first Arbitron ratings book became the most-listened AM station in the market, particularly among younger listeners coveted by advertisers. Following their success in Portland, Clear Channel rolled out the format and a nearly identical on-air lineup on many of their struggling AM stations in other markets, to mostly modest success.

With the switch to its current format, KPOJ, in just two years, has gone from a low-rated afterthought, with many format and call letter changes over the years, to one of the most influential stations in the country.

[edit] The KPOJ on-air template

Many progressive talk stations around the country, both owned by Clear Channel and by other companies, air a near-identical weekday lineup, consisting of Al Franken and Ed Schultz live, followed by Randi Rhodes via tape delay. Mornings are often either local or syndicated (with either Air America's Jerry Springer or Stephanie Miller, neither of whom are on KPOJ) and the late night shift varies from station to station between Air America's Mike Malloy, Lionel or Alan Colmes (Malloy airs on KPOJ).