Radio station changes hands and call letters

By Randy Parks
Burns Times-Herald

On Friday, July 16, Leighton (Linc) Reed-Nickerson and his wife, Joan, became the new owners of the local radio station and the changes were almost immediate.

The AM station call letters were changed from KZZR to KBNH and the FM went from KQHC to KORC-FM. The formats, contemporary country and Classic Hits, have remained the same so far, but Reed-Nickerson said they are still deciding what changes they will make there.

Reed-Nickerson took over manning the microphone for now, but said he is hoping to find someone to take over as newscaster.

Reed-Nickerson has a long history in the broadcasting industry, having gotten his ham radio license at age 14 and his first class broadcasting license when he was 17. “When I was 17, I wanted to either be an engineer or an English teacher,” Reed-Nickerson said. “I visited a radio station and decided right then that’s what I wanted to do.”

Reed-Nickerson said he hasn’t worked on the air so much as the engineering side of both radio and television.

His career began in Massachusetts, and through the years he worked in a variety of states until he ended up working for Tektronics and living in Camas, Wash. He left Tektronics in 1998, but stayed in the telecommunications industry, working for Rohde & Schwarz and Qualcomm until he retired in 2009.

Reed-Nickerson said he soon became bored with retirement, bought a station in Waldport that had gone dark and got it back on the air in March as KORC-AM.

While he had no plans to expand as a radio station owner, Reed-Nickerson said he received word that the Burns station was for sale. “We came over, checked it out and decided we could make it work,” he said.

Reed-Nickerson added that Joan is actually the majority owner of KBNH and KORC-FM and plans to spend about three days a week at the station. “She has her own business, rebuilding steam locomotives and steam tractors,” Reed-Nickerson said. He noted that her projects usually end up as movie stars, having been used in the films “Stand By Me,” “The Changeling” and others.

While changes are imminent at the local station, Reed-Nickerson said he wants to get input from the public before making any final decisions. “We’re going to be very open with the community, listen to what they’d like to hear and make it a local station,” he said.

Reed-Nickerson added he’d like to have news blocks at 6, 7 and 8 a.m., noon and 5 p.m. as well as expand local sports coverage and live shows.

While they have yet to decide on music formats, Reed-Nickerson stated it’s important to have a consistent sound.

Although most of Reed-Nickerson’s time has been spent inside the studios since he took over, he’s anxious to get out and meet people. “I think it’s important to  share thoughts and yourself with the community,” he said. “Listen to what they have to say.”

And for those who wonder if this is just a passing fancy, Reed-Nickerson has no plans on a quick re-sale. “I love it here. This is the kind of country I love, and we’ll be here for a while.”