[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 11, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1515-S1516]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                               KCAM RADIO

 Mr. BEGICH. Madam President, 50 years ago KCAM AM Radio 790 in 
Glennallen, AK, began airing its signal. Today I commend this 
remarkable achievement.
  KCAM signed on the air March 27, 1964, the day of the magnitude 9.2 
Good Friday Earthquake that devastated Anchorage and caused a tsunami 
that wiped out Valdez and other coastal communities. The community of

[[Page S1516]]

Glennallen also felt the effects of the quake.
  KCAM had not yet received Federal Communications Commission 
permission to broadcast, but since their tower was undamaged, the Civil 
Defense Authority asked the station to go live under Emergency Orders. 
They signed on and kept residents, emergency workers, and those fleeing 
the damaged areas up-to-date.
  It was quite a beginning for a shoestring station that was founded 
five decades ago by the late Vince Joy. In 2014, the station is still 
going strong with a state-of-the-art studio, reaching listeners 
throughout the Copper River Valley via the airwaves and online 
streaming.
  Along the way, KCAM has earned awards from the Associated Press and 
was named Inspirational Station of the Year by Skylight Network and 
Small Market Station of the Year by Focus on the Family.
  I want to extend my congratulations to the current crew at the 
station, including president and manager Scott Yahr, program director 
Michelle Eastty, special projects manager Roger Bovee, and countless 
other staff and interns over the years who helped keep it going.
  As part of their celebration, a newly released book commemorates 50 
years of uninterrupted operation by chronicling stories from listeners 
who have been affected by the broadcasting and reprinting their photos. 
Anyone who has lived in a small town knows that a radio station is 
often at the center of the fabric of the community. Such is the case 
with KCAM, which not only provides music, news, weather, sports, talk 
shows, and entertainment, but also sends personal messages and makes 
community announcements.
  I send my best wishes to my friends at KCAM Radio, the ``Voice of the 
Copper River Valley,'' as they observe their anniversary in April 
2014.

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