“I can’t even imagine my life without KBOO.”
That’s what Shaheed Haamid told the audience assembled January 20 at the Oregon Historical Society to celebrate the opening of “50 Years of KBOO,” an exhibit marking the Portland community radio station’s first half-century. Haamid is a long-time KBOO volunteer, programmer and current board member.
He recalled that upon arriving in Portland from New York City in 1980, “listening on the radio, you couldn’t tell that Black people were here.” That is, except for on KBOO, which was the only station where you would hear about the lack of integration in the local schools, police brutality and other issues of particular importance to the African-American community. Haamid soon began volunteering there.
The KBOO exhibit is joined at the OHS by an exhibit called “Racing to Change: Oregon’s Civil Rights Years,” presented by the Oregon Black Pioneers, a Black heritage organization. OBP president Willie Richardson also spoke. “KBOO is part of the puzzle to finish telling the story of African-Americans in Oregon,” she said. “That’s a lot of storytelling.”
Station manager Delphine Criscenzo acknowledged the vital relationship with the Native community. She emphasized that “KBOO is a part of Oregon history worth sharing,” and the importance of passing the station on to future generations.
Walking through the exhibit, one is treated to showcases of KBOO memorabilia–including t-shirts, mugs and program guides–along with the station’s original transmitter and mixer board, a partially home-brewed design based on a 1950s era console, christened the “Turkey Mark XXII.” A series of displays document milestones in station history, starting from the time when a community station in Portland was just an idea fostered by a group of supporters disappointed by the demise of classical radio KGMG.
Originally signing on with 10 watts of power from a home garage in Portland’s West Hills, KBOO went on to occupy three more locations before settling down in its current home on East Burnside St., just across the Willamette River from Downtown. Each location is memorialized in the exhibit.
With hundreds of new community stations taking to the air in the 21st century, it’s important to reflect on the fact that community radio was a rarer commodity in the previous century. Any town or city was lucky to have one, and it’s startling to note that even big cities like Chicago and Phoenix lacked a true listener-supported community radio station until the last decade.
That’s why it’s imperative that we recognize the stations that have racked up decades on the air, and celebrate the big milestone anniversaries. As anyone who has worked or volunteered in community radio knows, keeping a station going requires a tremendous effort involving dozens, if not thousands, of people. Doing this for 50 years is wondrous, and it’s important to document this history for future generations.
“50 Years of KBOO” runs through July 27 at the Oregon Historical Society Museum, in Portland. If you can’t make it in person you should check out the exhibit website, which features most of the displays, along with archival audio, photos and downloadable version of the exhibit catalog.
KBOO is hosting this year’s Grassroots Radio Conference in October, when the exhibit will move to Portland City Hall. We’ll feature the station’s anniversary on a future episode of the podcast, talking with station staff who built the exhibit.
