Collection is open for research.
Gift of Fred Granata, January 2001 (Lib. Acc. 24447).
Wilbur J. Jerman (1901-2004) founded the AM radio station KWJJ in 1927 in Portland, Oregon; the call sign was based on his initials. In 1947, KWJJ founded KPRA to serve as an FM sister station; it was the third FM radio station established in Portland. Jerman sold KWJJ to Rod Johnson in 1951.
Sources: articles and advertisements in the Oregon Journal, 1947-1951; vital records on Ancestry.com.
KWJJ and KPRA records, Coll 978, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
The collection consists of records relating to the AM radio station KWJJ and the FM radio station KPRA, both based in Portland, Oregon. The bulk of the collection consists of photocopies of records sent or forwarded to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for construction permits relating to the stations. These include financial records, programming schedules, inventories, correspondence to and from KWJJ owner Wilbur J. Jerman, meeting minutes, affidavits, personnel information, and antenna diagrams. The collection also includes an original blank KWJJ transcription disc label.
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.