According to Wikipedia, Churchill AMs 660 and 1450 (Eugene, OR) as well as 1040 (Portland) went silent on December 30. Their website has a message saying that the site "has been suspended." Another one bites the dust. 
EDIT ADD: See also http://kezi.com/page/157387
This is really sad! Smooth Jazz 1450 only lasted a month and a half.
Lets hope we don't lose anymore stations today or tomorrow.
This is sad/scary...also hearing about other Hispanic stations struggling due to economy...not out of the woods yet...JOBS JOBS JOBS is all we need!
Now is the time to log CKST "Team 1040" Vancouver, BC
This is so sad I can't even make a comment. I feel sorry for the people who don't have a job.
Wow! Very sad!
I just tuned in 1040 and 660. It appears that the transmitter on 660 is still on but with no modulation.
That's a fine, waiting to happen.
As of an hour ago 660 was still a carrier with no audio and 1450 was still on with smooth jazz, but barely. 1450 has had problems in recent weeks with the transmitter dropping off briefly and back on. Today it was happening every few seconds.
Here is an article from today's Register-Guard: http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/business/24306542-41/radio-station-churchill-eugene-media.csp
From my location in downtown Hillsboro, I cannot completely null out KBPS. I hear some co-channel interference on 1450, but I cannot yet make out any traces of Smooth Jazz. I do hear the dead carrier on 660 and the Vancouver, BC station on 1040.
From my location in downtown Hillsboro.
I might have gone right by you??? I was on my way to the post office on 1st...
To be more specific, I should have said "near downtown Hillsboro." I am actually about 3/4 of a mile from the post office.
The last flip of the decade was a flip of the off switch. 
Here's All Access and their take:
---------------------------------------------Churchill Media Shuttered---------------------------------------------
Two years of "Substantial decreases" in revenue have prompted CHURCHILL MEDIA to liquidate its assets and close its three OREGON stations. Going dark are Regional Mexican KXPD (LA X)/PORTLAND, Smooth Jazz KLZS-A/EUGENE, OR and Regional Mexican KXOR-A (LA X)/EUGENE, OR
Churchill, which also owns several Spanish-speaking radio stations and a TV station in Mexico City, is now looking for a buyer.
"We are working to locate buyers for these media properties who we hope will continue to meet the needs of the Hispanic community," CHURCHILL MEDIA owner SUZANNE ARLIE told KEZI.COM. "This was not an easy decision, but one which the deteriorating broadcast advertising market has forced us to make."
Smooth Jazz 1450 KLZS is still on the air, but I wonder how much longer it will continue.
This would appear to be a good time to welcome back the clear channel signal of KTWO Casper, Wyoming.
KXOR 660 kHz had a open carrier running at 1:03 PM PST this afternoon.
Carrier left the air at 1:06 PM PST. Last night a friend in Seaside, OR
were talking on the phone and also scanning the MW channels. No KTWO, but
KDUN in Reedsport dominating the channel here in Salmon Creek.
Wondering if Bustos Media will buy any of the Churchill Media AM stations?
Dennis
Salmon Creek, WA
As of the 4 o'clock hour, I'm hearing a fairly stable signal from the 660 in Calgary, Alberta.
As of about 4:50 PM, CFFR from Calgary switched to its night pattern, and the signal strength dropped significantly! I am surprised because the Portland area is not in the main lobe of either pattern.
Day -> http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=CFFR&service=AM&status=F&hours=D
Night -> http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=CFFR&service=AM&status=F&hours=N
I'm trying to listen for KTWO on 1030, but there are at least three signals fighting for the frequency. One of them is KTWO (I heard a female announcer say "K2"). Another is KMAS (they mentioned mason county). I might have also heard KDUN in there, although I did not get an ID (it was a fairly strong signal with FOX news that I was partially able to null out).
CFFR has almost no signal toward us at night with a 6-tower array. See the actual pattern at http://www.fccinfo.com/CMDProEngine.php?sCurrentService=AM&tabSearchType=Appl&sAppIDNumber=305264&sHours=N
One of the casualties is recently-appointed station manager, Teri Rodrigues. From the sound of this article, this juggernaut was spinning long before they brought her aboard to jockey this dead horse to the glue factory.
Those of us who know T-Rod from her days at Clear Channel recognize her chops as one of the best promotion people in Portland. Here's a pro anyone would be happy to have on their team.
"this juggernaut was spinning long before they brought her aboard to jockey this dead horse to the glue factory."
Tom, You made my morning! 
I'm glad you like a poorly composed metaphor Craig.
KMAS is in Shelton Wa, North of Olympia on the west side of Puget Sound......
In other silent/dark news from All Access:
---------------------------------------Receiver Applies To Keep KOGN Silent--------------------------------------
Receiver WAYNE KLEIN has applied to the FCC to continue the Special Temporary Authority for KOGN-A/OGDEN, UT to remain silent. The station, licensed to E. MORGAN SKINNER's AM RADIO 1490, INC., was briefly returned to the air in NOVEMBER to maintain the license. KLEIN was appointed receiver for the station on SEPTEMBER 25th and hired an engineer to put the station back on the air for 27 hours on NOVEMBER 20th-21st, despite the station's facilities also being in foreclosure.
SKINNER's LEGACY MEDIA CORPORATION and TRI-STATE MEDIA CORPORATION, owners of the licensees of KPTO-A/POCATELLO, ID, KITT-A/SODA SPRINGS, ID, KNFL-A/TREMONTON, UT, KENT-A/PAROWAN, UT, and KOGN, were placed into receivership last FALL. A transmitter from KPTO was used to get KOGN back on the air.
----------------------------------------------KJ103/Lufkin Goes Silent----------------------------------------------
YATES MEDIA's LMA of Country KJCS (KJ103)/LUFKIN-NACOGDOCHES, TX is over and the station has applied to the FCC to remain silent, reports ABC affiliate KTRE-TV.
LMA operator STEPHEN YATES told the TV station that BILL VANCE, owner of the station, unexpectedly pulled the plug on the LMA and filed with the FCC for authority to go silent on DECEMBER 7th.
1450 KLZS is now off the air.
I heard a little bit of modulation splash on 1040 this morning. It turned out to be coming from 1030, which is playing a 50s-heavy nostalgia format. Shep and the Limelights' "Daddy's Home" is playing now. I am waiting to hear an ID.
The 1030 station I am hearing is KDUN (Reedsport).
Who at this point in the economy would buy Churchill Media ? You have 4 or 5 radio stations and a couple of tv stations.
Maybe MRB would buy 660 and do something with it....its 50,000 watts of god sake but garbage at night
It's actually only 10K.
Here's what they're doing in Texas to keep a station from going dark.
KGBC began broadcasting in 1947. With little financial support from advertisers lately, the owners of the Galveston station have leased all their airtime to "China Radio International", a service of the People’s Republic of China! Read the entire article below.
Galveston County - The Daily News:
http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=805b832c620b2981
If MRB wanted an AM they would have kept 1450 to begin with. At least 1450 has enough night signal to cover Eugene-Springfield.
In addition, CRI broadcasts can be heard on the medium-wave AM band in many areas, including WUST, serving the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area and on WNWR in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Radio_International
Check out map (with hilarious typo, "Washingtong, DC") at http://english.cri.cn/worldwide/continent.htm#northamerica
>>MRB wanted an AM they would have kept 1450 to begin with
the station actually had decent ratings under MRB with Nostalgia.
1030 KDUN has one of the better daytime signals in Oregon.
Will Bustos buy Churchill media stations?
They won't be buying 1040 or any other Portland area AMs, as long as they continue to own the 5 they already have.
If Bustos could have afforded to buy KXOR (660) in Eugene, I would think that they would have done so by now.
Bustos is very limiited on what he can buy. Because it is coming out of his own pocket. His investors are in a buying mood.....Granted he can't buy another AM in PDX. The biggest problem is that Churchill wants to sell them for at least what they paid for and what they don't realize is that the signals are basically depreciating while they aren't on the air.
>>signals are basically depreciating while they aren't on the air.
especially AM's collecting dust, but you have to get them at a steal if you want to make ends meet and even that would be hard on new AM's.
I have a friend who made an offer for KXPD here in Portland, Churchill wasn't interested in working out a deal unless it was close to the$1.8 million they paid in 2006. The station has no real property or studios. Basically you're buying the transmitter and the license, which has a pretty low value. Stations generally go for 2- 21/2 times the gross billing. I really doubt if they were billing $900,000 a year. The longer they wait to sell the lower the price is going to be. Even if you could pick it up for $500,000, it would still be a struggle to turn a profit with an am station that has marginal night time coverage.
Big89 you are Correct.....The owner is clueless and he is of the belief that you can get that price. It is not a building and he is treating like real estate. Even with the fact it can transmit an HD signal its still losing its value. Oh I am reminding myself that even real estate has taken it in the shorts....and he should know better.
(I still wonder how many truly are using HD in PDX, inquiring minds want to know.)
I have an JVC HD receiver in my truck. I use to listen to KXPD in stereo when they were on the air. Their HD coverage area was very small. AM HD has way too many artifacts to be pleasing to the ear. I'd rather hear a mono signal processed they way we did it in the 70's. At least it was clean sounding audio with a nice punch in the bottom end. CKLW has to be the best example of how good an AM signal could sound with the right engineer. Haven't heard an AM station sound that good in a long time.
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