1430 KYKN

The last 10 minutes of the show didn’t happen to a technical issue

North Salem at Sprague

Happy Columbus Day! Denise and Hunter kicked off today’s Newsmakers at Noon with a little nostalgia, “In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue!” We revisited that familiar childhood rhyme, the Niña, Pinta and Santa María, and the celebration of Italian American heritage throughout October. Even the Empire State Building is getting into the […]

Today on Newsmakers at Noon, it was time for Real Estate Insights with two powerhouse pros: Amy McLeod of The McLeod Group/Keller Williams and Elizabeth Smith of Smith Mortgage Team/Success Mortgage. Elizabeth kicked things off with an update on mortgage rates and some of the lending products available to buyers right now. But that led […]

It’s Italian-American Heritage Month, and Denise celebrated the occasion in the most appropriate way possible – by making a pot of Italian gravy! Of course, that immediately raised the age-old Italian-American question: Is it gravy or is it sauce? We may have opinions. We’re not sure we settled anything. 🍝 But with less than a […]

Happy October! Denise and Hunter kicked off the first day of the month with everything from International Coffee Day and pumpkin spice to the much more consequential story dominating Oregon politics: tonight’s first 2026 gubernatorial debate between Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek and Republican state Sen. Christine Drazan. The debate begins at 6 p.m. in Eugene, […]

Today on Newsmakers at Noon, we started close to home with Steve Kettering, marketing manager at the South Salem Senior Center, and Douglas Meyer, who serves on the center’s board. They joined Denise and Hunter to talk about the Senior Center and two upcoming events happening October 2–3 and October 16–17. It was a great […]

There may have been a little too much coffee involved in today’s Newsmakers at Noon – which seemed appropriate since it’s National Coffee Day. From there, Denise and Hunter bounced from history and Halloween nostalgia to politics, the economy, Seattle’s struggles and one deeply disturbing discovery lurking beneath the waters of the Pacific Northwest. We […]

Today on Newsmakers at Noon, TJ Sullivan of Hagan Hamilton Insurance joined us for our monthly Community Champions conversation, along with his guest Beth Black, past president of the National Association of Benefits & Insurance Professionals. With changes underway in Oregon’s health-insurance market, Beth helped us sort through what’s happening, why some carriers are leaving […]

Sheldon At Sprague

It was a big day on Newsmakers at Noon as Denise spent the first half of the show one-on-one with Bill O’Reilly, talking about his new book, Confronting America: What Has to Change. O’Reilly describes the book as an examination of America’s cultural problems and what he believes needs to change. Bill O’Reilly The conversation […]

Today on Newsmakers at Noon, forget the polls for a minute; the number that got our attention was diesel over $6 a gallon. With oil around $91 a barrel, Denise and Hunter kicked around the obvious question: what exactly is driving what consumers are paying at the pump, and how much of that price comes […]

Happy first day of fall! Today on Newsmakers at Noon, we welcomed Amy McLeod for Real Estate Insights, and the housing market gave us plenty to unpack beyond the usual conversation about prices and interest rates. Amy brought us up to speed on the latest market stats, but one of the bigger themes was that […]

Today on Newsmakers at Noon, John Charles, President and CEO of Cascade Policy Institute, joined us to talk about an organization that has spent 35 years weighing in on some of Oregon’s biggest public-policy debates. Cascade describes itself as an independent, free-market public-policy research organization focused on individual liberty, economic opportunity and accountable government. John [&#823...

McKay at McNary Football

It was Constitution Day on Newsmakers at Noon, marking the signing of the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. Thirty-nine delegates ultimately signed the document, a fitting backdrop for a show filled with questions about elections, government power, individual rights and the institutions Americans depend upon. National Archives Oregon’s governor’s race brought us […]

Today’s Newsmakers at Noon welcomed Jeff Reynolds, Senior Editor at Restoration News, joining us live from FreedomFest 2026 in Las Vegas, where thousands of leaders, entrepreneurs, policymakers, investors, and advocates for liberty have gathered to discuss the future of America. Jeff gave us an inside look at the conference, highlighting the energy surrounding this year’s […]

Today’s Newsmakers at Noon covered everything from Oregon’s economic challenges and community news to a thought-provoking conversation on Christian compassion and biblical truth. We began with a reminder that the Oregon Conservative Caucus Joel Pawloski Memorial Scholarship is now accepting applications, helping support the next generation of Oregon’s conservative leaders. We the...

Today’s Newsmakers at Noon explored one of the most controversial law enforcement technologies in America: Flock Safety automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras. We discussed concerns about the expanding use of AI-powered surveillance, including reports that Flock’s technology can track the movements of millions of vehicles and raises questions about how such data could be [&#8230...

Today’s Newsmakers at Noon celebrated America, highlighted an incredible local nonprofit, and tackled some of Oregon’s top headlines. We welcomed TJ Sullivan from Hagan Hamilton for our monthly Community Champions segment. TJ shared how the partnership shines a spotlight on organizations making a real difference across the Mid-Valley before introducing Trina Fowler from the Salem [&#82...

Today’s Newsmakers at Noon proved that live radio is all about being flexible! Our guests, Solomon Yue and Kerry McQuisten, joined us live while sitting in traffic on the West Salem Bridge. (Gee…if only we’d moved forward with that third bridge!) Despite the unexpected mobile studio, we enjoyed a fascinating conversation about their new book, […]

Today’s program kicked off with Jane Lowery and Daylee Howard from Willamette Valley Bank, who joined us for our monthly KYKN Community Calendar update. They shared a preview of community events and activities happening throughout the Mid-Valley during the month of July. We then turned our attention to downtown Salem, discussing Jacob Espinoza’s article, “You […]

🏡 Today Amy McLeod of The McLeod Group/Keller Williams joined us for another edition of Real Estate Insights, breaking down what’s happening in today’s housing market and what buyers and sellers should be watching. 📊 We started with the latest local market statistics before diving into The Big Beautiful Housing Bill and what its proposed […]