KSMA-FM is a radio station airing a country music format licensed to Osage, Iowa, broadcasting on 98.7 MHz FM. The station serves the areas of Mason City, Iowa, and Austin, Minnesota, and is owned by North Iowa Broadcasting.[2]
 | |
| Broadcast area | Mason City-Clear Lake Austin-Albert Lea |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 98.7 MHz |
| Branding | 98-7 Kiss Country |
| Programming | |
| Format | Country music |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | North Iowa Broadcasting (Coloff Media, LLC) |
| KCHA, KCHA-FM, KCZE, KHAM, KIOW, KLKK | |
| History | |
First air date | 1980 (as KOSG) |
Former call signs | KOSG (1979-1989) KCZY (1989-1998) KWMM (1998-2001) |
Former frequencies | 103.7 MHz (1980-1998) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 41099 |
| Class | C3 |
| ERP | 25,000 watts |
| HAAT | 100 meters |
Transmitter coordinates | 43°21′53″N 93°02′54″W / 43.36472°N 93.04833°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | http://www.987kisscountry.com/ |
KSMA-FM's studios are located on North Federal Avenue in downtown Mason City, while its transmitter is located near Grafton. In middays, Classic Country format weekdays called 'Lunch With The Legends', showcasing artists like Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Waylon Jennings, and many more. The station broadcasts Osage High School basketball and football games during the regular seasons.
History
editA construction permit was issued for a radio station serving Osage in 1979. The next year, the station went on the air on 103.7 FM with an easy listening format under the KOSG call letters. On July 1, 1989, KOSG changed call letters to KCZY, and was part of a four station simulcast that included KCZQ in Cresco, KCZE in New Hampton, and KCHA-FM in Charles City. On January 1, 1998, KCZY changed calls to KWMM, and flipped to a nostalgia format as "Memories 103.7." Later that year, the station changed frequencies to 98.7 FM. In 1999, James Ingstad Broadcasting sold the station to Cumulus Broadcasting. Clear Channel Communications then bought the station the following year. For many years, the station exclusively targeted Osage and Mitchell County.
On August 13, 2001, at 7:30 p.m., KWMM flipped to Top 40/CHR as "98.7 Kiss FM". The new format competed against hot adult contemporary-formatted KLSS, which served as the default contemporary hit music station for North Iowa, and Rochester, Minnesota-based KROC-FM, whose signal covers much of the area.[3][4] The current KSMA-FM call letters were adopted on October 2, 2001. In February 2002, the station's power was increased to 25,000 watts, in order to improve its coverage into Mason City and Clear Lake.[5]
KSMA was the North Iowa affiliate for Rick Dees in the Morning, which was followed by "Valentine in the Morning"; both shows were based in Los Angeles. In addition, the station also carried Carson Daly, Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 and the Pop Culture Countdown. Local hosts during this time include Eric Fleming (who later went to KLSS), Patrick Gwin and Fish & the Freakshow.
In 2007, Clear Channel sold off many of their small market stations, including KSMA-FM and sister stations KGLO, KIAI and KLKK, to Three Eagles Broadcasting. Due to market ownership limits, as Three Eagles already owned KLSS, KRIB, and KYTC, KSMA-FM and KLKK were immediately spun off to Coloff Media, which is based in nearby Forest City, along with their Charles City and New Hampton stations KCHA, KCHA-FM and KCZE.[6][7] After a weekend of stunting, KSMA-FM flipped to Country as "98.7 Kiss Country" on October 2, 2007.[8][9]
On-air staff
editCurrent on-air staff includes J. Brooks and the Morning Rush, Rob Getz and Chris Berg.
Weekend programming includes syndicated shows Powered By Country, The Road, Thunder Road, and American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks.
References
edit- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KSMA-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ KSMA-FM fcc.gov. Retrieved December 17, 2012
- ^ Kristin Buehner, "Radio station changes home city and format," The Globe-Gazette, August 16, 2001.
- ^ "Broadcasting News-August 2001".
- ^ "Broadcasting News-February 2002".
- ^ Dick Johnson, "Radio stations change hands," The Globe-Gazette, April 11, 2007.
- ^ Dick Johnson, "Radio stations change ownership, locations," The Globe-Gazette, September 7, 2007.
- ^ "Broadcasting News-September 2007".
- ^ "Broadcasting News-October 2007".
External links
edit- KSMA-FM's official website
- Facility details for Facility ID 41099 (KSMA-FM) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- KSMA-FM in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
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