Introducing Montana Gazette’s ‘The Vigilante’ on 1230AM Radio
The owner of KHDN in Hardin, Montana, could not be a stronger conservative. And, as with all conservative Montanans,
By Publisher
Share
The owner of KHDN in Hardin, Montana, could not be a stronger conservative. And, as with all conservative Montanans, he loves Montana Daily Gazette for our locally-owned, locally-operated #1 online news source. He’s given Gideon Knox Group oversight over the daily programming, and in turn, Montana Daily Gazette will be the exclusive provider of news on this excellent talk radio station.
It’s important to note that the radio station, which was first founded in 1963, isn’t new. It’s gone through several changes and call signs, from KHDN in 1963 to KYTY in 1984 to KBSR in 1986, to KKUL in 1989, and back to KHDN in 1995.
Located in a strategically important place geographically, commercially, and politically, the 1k watt station can be heard as far west as Billings and as far east as Forsyth, while pounding the interstate into Billings with a strong signal. Thousands of motorists travel that interstate daily, and along with the Crow and Cheyenne nations, it has an important market in Billings and will prove a strong competitor in the state’s largest city.
Gideon Knox Group has brokered a deal to play audio from Salem Radio Network during “prime-time,” closed out by a live airing of Montana Gazette Radio, with Jim White, from 5-7PM Monday through Friday. The live call-in show will play synonymously on a large yet-to-be-named network in Western Montana (that announcement is forthcoming). White’s program, previously Northwest Liberty News, has been around for nearly a decade and is a go-to stop for conservative leaders to amplify their message. That legacy will continue as Montana Gazette Radio goes from the Internet to the airwaves.
Other programs will include local station time and original programming, including that of several statewide and local political leaders, thought-leaders, former officeholders, and Montana influencers. Sundays will be reserved for religious programming, chosen by Gideon Knox Group, which is headed up by Montana pastor, JD Hall.
Hall, who serves as publisher for the Montana Daily Gazette as well as president of Gideon Knox Group, explained that the radio station is up and firing, but kinks are being worked out in the programming.
Hall said, “Right now, we’ve outsourced some work to consultants we have hired to make this all come together. Currently, our main guy is all the way over in Orlando, who’s helping our new station manager learn the ropes. We’re still waiting for some equipment to come in from Salem Radio, and so we’re airing conservative talk radio from another station.”
A shake-up has had to occur at Montana Daily Gazette to allow the blog-turned-newspaper to venture into AM Radio. A search is forthcoming for a new editor of the online news source (Hall is the publisher) because its editor, James White of Kalispell, has moved to the new position of station manager of Montana Gazette Radio. White is no novice to broadcasting but will focus his time and energy on the airwaves rather than online readership at the flagship publication, Montana Daily Gazette.
Hall said, “We’ve got the right guy in mind as our new editor, because Jim’s hands are going to be full with an airtight schedule making sure the radio is up and on 24 hours a day, with a two-hour broadcast of Montana news every day.”
Hall went on to explain that MDG writer and investigator, Brenda Roskos, has been moved to Advertising Specialist to handle the advertising end of the operation. Gideon Knox Group, which specializes in online journalism, with Hall at the helm, will continue business as usual at the website until other local writers are found.
“Essentially,” Hall said, “they said we were ‘pink slime blog,’ something that would be around for just one election cycle, probably funded by outside dark money. That’s what Don Pogreba said over at the Montana Post, which was in turn aggregated at the Missoula Current.”
Hall then added, “But I guess, since then, they’ve figured out otherwise. We’re Montana-owned and operated, unlike the Billings Gazette, Bozeman Chronicle, and Helena Independent Record. I’ve been doing Christian publishing for more than a decade, and I’m not going anywhere any time soon, and Montana Daily Gazette is now the #1 online news source in Montana. And now, we’re taking over the airwaves. We’ve done so on a shoestring budget because of supply and demand.
“Other than Tim Ravandal, who does a pretty good job, there’s nobody else providing conservative news that I’m aware of and nobody does it on our level. Well,” Hall added, “except for the Missoula Tyranny guy, Roy, but he writes for us now over at MDG. There are some great conservative voices on Montana radio – there’s definitely competition there – but nobody’s going to have the programming we have. We will be among the most conservative news stations in the United States.”
When asked how it came that Montana Daily Gazette would get exclusive media coverage on an AM Station like KHDN Hall said, “God. God did that. Only God could have done that.”
He went on, “Nobody else has this. Not the Billings Gazette. None of the mainstream papers. Not Connie Chung over in the Flathead. Only we’ve been given the opportunity to commandeer two media forms like this, and it’s growing.”
In terms of why the station branded itself as The Vigilante, Hall said, “We were just spitballing ideas. The station owner and I are both history buffs and love the story of the Montana vigilantes of 1863. Those weren’t the bad guys, historically. The sheriffs were corrupt. The territorial government was incompetent. The people were being ransacked. The vigilantes held things together until law and order could be restored. That’s how we see ourselves. Things are jacked up right now in America, and although we aren’t literal vigilantes, we’re truth vigilantes. The media is not doing its job, so we became media and will do it for them.”
The station will rely on advertising to remain viable, and has is currently hiring an ad team. Commission-only contractors will work for Gideon Knox Group and procure advertising under the oversight of Roskos, a Kalispell-located activist who’s been with the publication for about a year. Meanwhile, a Patriots Business Directory is being developed to find patriot and constitution-minded businesses throughout the state to patronize the station with their advertising dollars.
Hall said, “We’re sick and tired of outsiders turning this place into Little California. That’s about to stop. People want conservative news, and we’re it. If you’re a conservative business, support us and we’ll support you.”
To inquire about advertising, contact Roskos at GideonKnoxAds@Gmail.com. And this is perhaps the best part – the entire station is being live-streamed over the Internet, so no matter where you are in the Big Sky State, you can listen in. This will be especially important for the original, local Montana programming later in the evening. You can do so by going directly to the website, KHDNradio.com.
Hall reiterated, “We’re on a learning curve. I just found out what a ‘swear button’ is. We had to hire FCC attorneys and all that. Thank God for Jim White, is all I have to say. Today, we had a glitch in programming, but all that is going to be ironed out in a period of a few days or weeks, but as for now, we’re live.”
[Editor’s Note: Contributed by Dustin Germain]