| KBWG | |
| Country: | US |
| Branding: | Thunder Radio |
| Format: | Variety |
| Power: | 1,250 watts |
| Haat: | 127m (417feet) |
| Class: | A |
| Facility Id: | 763408 |
| Coordinates: | 48.7063°N -113.1003°W |
| Callsign Meaning: | "Browning" |
| Former Callsigns: | KBWG-LP (2010–2024) |
| Former Frequencies: | 107.5 MHz (2010–2024) |
| Owner: | Blackfeet Tribe |
| Website: | KBWG on Facebook |
| Licensing Authority: | FCC |
KBWG (89.7 MHz), known as Thunder Radio, is a radio station in Browning, Montana, United States, owned by the Blackfeet Tribe.
The station began as KBWG-LP 107.5, a low-power FM radio station, in 2004. It was owned by the town of Browning and initially broadcast emergency and weather information before the town received a grant in 2006 to upgrade the facility. It then began broadcasting classic country music.[1] In 2010 and 2011, the station began broadcasting with live DJs and local news and sports programming, adopting the name Thunder Radio.[2] [3] By 2015, the station had more than two dozen volunteers.[4]
The station temporarily shut down on January 14, 2016, amid the closure of City Hall and a dispute between the town of Browning and the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council and discussions of a possible municipal bankruptcy filing for Browning.[5] By March 2017, the town was in receivership, and Glacier County was evaluating spinning Thunder Radio off to a community board.[6] The Blackfeet Tribe was owed $2.6 million by the town of Browning, and as part of a court-ordered settlement agreement in which the tribe acquired most of the town's assets, KBWG-LP was included.[7] [8]
The Blackfeet Tribe obtained a full-power license and replaced KBWG-LP with KBWG on 89.7 MHz in 2024. The tribe also holds the licenses for four other full-power stations on the reservation: KIYO 88.1 in St. Mary, KWRR 90.3 in Heart Butte, KIPP in East Glacier Park Village, and KEOP in Little Browning.
