Von Johnson joined KIQY-FM (K104) in Lebanon, Oregon as Vice President and General Manager in 1979.  Located in the heart of Oregon’s Wine Country in the Willamette Valley, K104 served the Linn-Benton county area which includes Corvallis, Albany, Lebanon and Sweet Home. The 50,000 watt radio station features a strong signal reaching beyond the primary service area to include Eugene and Salem.

 

Johnson engineered a turn-around beginning with a complete re-tooling of the broadcast plant, program services and sales.  K104’s entertainment format was adult-contemporary, but the canned automated programming stifled the station's personality and limited growth.  Johnson hired a new program director (Russ Kimball) who guided the transition from automation to a live announcer format.  K104 improved audience reach and penetration to achieve #2 ratings in the target demographic over one year.  The improved ratings were a benefit to sales under the leadership of a new sales manager, B. Paul Moore.  K104 achieved both artistic and business excellence during Johnson's administration.