KBWG
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| [[Frequency|FrequencTemplate:Pluralize from text]] | 89.7 MHz |
|---|---|
| Branding | Thunder Radio |
| Programming | |
| Format | Variety |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Blackfeet Tribe |
| History | |
First air date | Script error: No such module "Date time". |
Former call signs | KBWG-LP (2010–2024) |
Former frequencies | 107.5 MHz (2010–2024) |
Call sign meaning | "Browning" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| 763408 | |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 1,250 watts |
| HAAT | 127 meters (417 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. |
| Links | |
Public license information | Template:FCC Licensing and Management System facility |
| Website | KBWG on Facebook |
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KBWG (89.7 MHz), known as Thunder Radio, is a radio station in Browning, Montana, United States, owned by the Blackfeet Tribe.
The station began as KBWG-LP 107.5, a low-power FM radio station, in 2004. It was owned by the town of Browning and initially broadcast emergency and weather information before the town received a grant in 2006 to upgrade the facility. It then began broadcasting classic country music.[2] In 2010 and 2011, the station began broadcasting with live DJs and local news and sports programming, adopting the name Thunder Radio.[3][4] By 2015, the station had more than two dozen volunteers.[5]
The station temporarily shut down on January 14, 2016, amid the closure of City Hall and a dispute between the town of Browning and the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council and discussions of a possible municipal bankruptcy filing for Browning.[6] By March 2017, the town was in receivership, and Glacier County was evaluating spinning Thunder Radio off to a community board.[7] The Blackfeet Tribe was owed $2.6 million by the town of Browning, and as part of a court-ordered settlement agreement in which the tribe acquired most of the town's assets, KBWG-LP was included.[8][9]
The Blackfeet Tribe obtained a full-power license and replaced KBWG-LP with KBWG on 89.7 MHz in 2024. The tribe also holds the licenses for four other full-power stations on the reservation: KIYO 88.1 in St. Mary, KWRR 90.3 in Heart Butte, KIPP 90.7 in East Glacier Park Village, and KEOP 90.7 in Little Browning. These stations were on the air with Thunder Radio's programming by February 2025 and were built as part of a partnership with the University of Montana that also saw Montana Public Radio add a transmitter—KUFB 88.9—in Browning.[10]
Simulcasts
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | HAAT | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KIYO | 88.1 FM | St. Mary, Montana | 763578 | 750 | 427 m (1,401 ft) | C3 | Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | Template:FCC-LMS-Facility |
| KWRR | 90.3 FM | Heart Butte, Montana | 763582 | 250 | 103 m (338 ft) | A | Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | Template:FCC-LMS-Facility |
| KIPP | 90.7 FM | East Glacier Park Village, Montana | 763579 | 100 | 98 m (322 ft) | A | Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | Template:FCC-LMS-Facility |
| KEOP | 90.7 FM | Little Browning, Montana | 763581 | 100 | 2 m (6.6 ft) | A | Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | Template:FCC-LMS-Facility |
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Facility Technical Data for KBWG". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.McGill, John (March 21, 2007). "Voice of Browning is now 107.5 FM". Glacier Reporter.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.McGill, John (November 17, 2010). "Changes launched at Browning's radio station KBWG FM". Glacier Reporter.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.McGill, John (January 19, 2011). "'Voice of Browning' radio station KBWG expanding". Glacier Reporter.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.McGill, John (March 11, 2015). "KBWG-LP Thunder Radio seeking more DJs". Glacier Reporter.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.McGill, John (January 20, 2016). "What's next? Bankruptcy or Disincorporating? Browning's City Hall closes its doors and radio station goes off the air". Glacier Reporter.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.McGill, John (April 5, 2017). "Commissioners discuss creating board to operate Browning's Thunder Radio". Glacier Reporter.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Franz, Justin (September 20, 2017). "Browning to Sell Assets to Blackfeet Tribe as Town Dissolves". Flathead Beacon. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Jacobson, Adam (February 19, 2018). "Blackfeet Tribe Gets An LPFM From A Local Town". Radio & Television Business Report. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Heavy Runner, Martina (February 18, 2025). "Thunder Radio takes to the airwaves throughout Blackfeet Country". Cut Bank Pioneer Press. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
External links
- Template:FCC Licensing and Management System facility
- KBWG in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- Template:FCC Licensing and Management System facility
- KIYO in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- Template:FCC Licensing and Management System facility
- KWRR in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- Template:FCC Licensing and Management System facility
- KIPP in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- Template:FCC Licensing and Management System facility
- KEOP in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
