KKSO (1390 kHz) was a commercial AM radio station in Des Moines, Iowa. The station was owned by Barnstable Broadcasting, and was supplanted by its expanded band successor, KBGG 1700 AM, in 2001.
| Broadcast area | Des Moines metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1390 kHz |
| Programming | |
| Format | Defunct |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | 1947 (as KCBC) |
Last air date | 2001 |
Former call signs |
|
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 22888 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 1,000 watts |
History
editKKSO signed on in 1947 as KCBC.[1] The station was owned by Capital City Broadcasting Company and was a network affiliate of the Mutual Broadcasting System. KCBC broadcast on 1390 kilocycles with a 1,000 watt directional antenna day and night.
In 1949, an FM station was launched on 94.1 MHz, as KCBC-FM. That station went off the air in 1953, and the license was deleted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
In 1983, KCBC became KMRY, mostly simulcasting the country music of co-owned KJJY.[2] In 1990, it became KKSO (in reference to the heritage KSO call sign vacated the prior year).[3]
On April 25, 1995, KKSO became an affiliate of Radio AAHS.
Expanded Band assignment and deletion
editOn March 17, 1997, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that eighty-eight stations had been given permission to move to newly available "Expanded Band" transmitting frequencies, ranging from 1610 to 1700 kHz, with KKSO authorized to move from 1390 to 1700 kHz.[4]
A construction permit for the expanded band station was assigned the call letters KBGG on November 12, 1997.[5] The FCC's initial policy was that both the original station and its expanded band counterpart could operate simultaneously for up to five years, after which owners would have to turn in one of the two licenses, depending on whether they preferred the new assignment or elected to remain on the original frequency.[4] It was ultimately decided to transfer full operations to the expanded band station, and on February 2, 2001, the license for KKSO was cancelled.[6]
In July of 2024, the FCC granted the KKSO call letters to an Iowa Public Radio outlet in the Des Moines metro on 88.9, effective August 30th of 2024. This marks a return of the call letters to the Des Moines radio market since they disappeared in the late 1990's.
References
edit- ^ "Iowa: Des Moines", Broadcasting Yearbook, 1948 edition, page 126.
- ^ "Iowa: Des Moines", Broadcasting Yearbook, 1991 edition, page B-119.
- ^ FCC Call Sign History for 1390 AM (Facility ID: 22888)
- ^ a b "FCC Public Notice: Mass Media Bureau Announces Revised AM Expanded Band Allotment Plan and Filing Window for Eligible Stations" (FCC DA 97-537), March 17, 1997.
- ^ FCC Call Sign History for 1700 AM (Facility ID: 87105)
- ^ FCC Station Search Details: DKKSO (Facility ID: 22888)
External links
edit- FCC Station Search Details: DKKSO (Facility ID: 22888)
- FCC History Cards for KKSO (covering 1944–1980 as KCBC)