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Iowa Iowa Public Radio revives the KKSO call letters

Mark Roberts

Mark Roberts

IPR has made several moves in the last few weeks. One of its Des Moines translators, K249EJ (the one on the KDPS tower just west of downtown) has switched its primary station from KICJ to WOI-HD2. Both of the latter two stations have been part of the IPR Classical network.

The other Des Moines translator, K231DI, which IPR purchased earlier this year, has applied for a slight power increase, though remaining at its transmitting site north of downtown. Its primary station remains KICJ.

But KICJ, licensed to Mitchellville and covering areas east of Des Moines, is changing its call letters to KKSO, which were the calls on the former KCBC(AM) at 1390 before that license was given up. In turn, the KKSO calls evoked the historic KSO calls that had been on 1460 for decades.

One possibility, then, is that KICJ/KKSO would begin airing IPR's AAA format, Studio One, full-time, with K231DI providing coverage of Des Moines. This combination wouldn't really cover all that much of West Des Moines, however. The Studio One format already is available on a full-time audio stream.

So far there are no indications from the IPR website, but this may be something to watch.
 
I saw that yesterday, too. Head scratcher. Another possibility is that they are preparing to sell 88.9, since WOI-HD (or even WOI-AM) provides more flexibility to feed DSM translators. Either way, it's been 30 years since KSO or KKSO had any significance to radio listeners in Des Moines.
 
ngriffin said:
I saw that yesterday, too. Head scratcher. Another possibility is that they are preparing to sell 88.9, since WOI-HD (or even WOI-AM) provides more flexibility to feed DSM translators. Either way, it's been 30 years since KSO or KKSO had any significance to radio listeners in Des Moines.
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Even some of the online-only portions of Studio One are hosted, or at least voice-tracked. So it wouldn’t be too much of an extension to put it on a spare OTA signal. Evoking KKSO (or KSO) wouldn’t fit the AAA format. But the “SO” could mean “Studio One”. The translator should do OK around Drake and demographically similar areas in west-central Des Moines, not to be confused with West Des Moines, of course.

I can’t imagine who would want KICJ otherwise; even the religious broadcasters seem to be retrenching these days.
 
I can guarantee it means Studio One. Most of the current adult population targeted by the AAA format wouldn't relate to the historic KKSO/KSO or even remember what it was. It is probably coincidental other than its irony to us as radio nerds. KKSO hasn't been really significant since the early 1980's. Almost 40 years ago. Des Moines was, at least relatively speaking, a whole different place then.
 
radiorobert said:
I can guarantee it means Studio One. Most of the current adult population targeted by the AAA format wouldn't relate to the historic KKSO/KSO or even remember what it was. It is probably coincidental other than its irony to us as radio nerds. KKSO hasn't been really significant since the early 1980's.
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Even then, it (and KSO earlier) wasn't all that significant in modern times.

Anyway, the effective date of the call-sign change is August 29. So IPR has about a month to promote the addition, if it chooses to do so.
 
There's been a little bit of updating of the website this morning (Iowa Public Radio Studio One, note "New look. New sound. Now taking over Des Moines on 94.1") though the "Find Your Signal" page still shows the Mitchellville station on IPR Classical though the "Listen" page for Studio One includes "88.9 | Bondurant & Mitchellville". Probably a few pages just haven't been updated yet.

IPR doesn't use top-of-hour IDs on the online streams so I have to assume to configuration is as indicated from the FCC call-letter filings. Edit: Well, not so. Just heard the 11 am top-of-hour ID. I'll note that the east-west split for the other two IPR networks doesn't apply here (it would after 7 pm when Studio One goes on the News network FM stations).

Looks like there's a new logo, too.
 
radiorobert said:
The power increase to 94.1 has also taken place. I believe it added 21 watts.
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radiofan2023 said:
That’s great. When Drake and Grinnell shared time on it, it barely got out to West Des Moines when Drake was broadcasting on it.
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It’s a mild boost at best, and it still misses much of WDM, especially the fast-growing areas in Dallas County. It probably amounts to having a little beefier signal in Des Moines proper.

This is one time where I can’t judge it using my relatives as a yardstick: they’re all out in WDM or some of the other suburbs.
 
radiorobert said:
You mean Grand View? ;) (I went there for a while so I remember the station) :)
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My mistake! Do you know why Grand View surrendered their license? Were there many students on air there, or not? I seem to remember the Grand View station just played world music, is that right?

At Drake, the studios were built from scratch in the student union with a board that KIOA got rid of, then for reasons I don’t remember, that studio was abandoned and the station moved to the Journalism building basement. A few years after that, Grand View surrendered their license and a year or so after that, Drake surrendered theirs as well.
 
I'm not certain but if I had to guess in both cases probably a combination of funding and student interest. Both stations were shut down long after I graduated but I seem to remember when I was still at Grand View they forgot to file for renewal and by the time it was discovered it was because they had already gotten a letter from the FCC. There was one professor that oversaw the operations. I think it just wasn't given alot of energy and attention.
 
radiorobert said:
I'm not certain but if I had to guess in both cases probably a combination of funding and student interest. Both stations were shut down long after I graduated but I seem to remember when I was still at Grand View they forgot to file for renewal and by the time it was discovered it was because they had already gotten a letter from the FCC. There was one professor that oversaw the operations. I think it just wasn't given alot of energy and attention.
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Yeah, I think the advisor for the station at Drake retired shortly before the license was turned in.
 
I think they were fun stations. Sadly, everyone always relies on someone else to run and operate stuff while they enjoy the end product. (Sorry not trying to be negative and hijack the thread.) I was working in broadcasting still when I went to Grandview but worked for Clear Channel locally so never had the time to even volunteer behind the scenes. My non-compete forbid me from being on the air at any other stations.
 
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It will be interesting to see if IPR brings this to other stations. They have several overlapping signals across the state that they could flip. They also have poor utilization of their HD signals. Almost everywhere that can get one of their HD signals can already receive their two FM networks in analog. They could flip their HD 2's over to Studio One.
 
Casey said:
It will be interesting to see if IPR brings this to other stations. They have several overlapping signals across the state that they could flip. They also have poor utilization of their HD signals. Almost everywhere that can get one of their HD signals can already receive their two FM networks in analog. They could flip their HD 2's over to Studio One.
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Looking at IPR’s own coverage maps at Find Your Local Iowa Public Radio Station - I see few overlaps unless you count the AM network, which I wouldn’t.
 
Casey said:
It will be interesting to see if IPR brings this to other stations. They have several overlapping signals across the state that they could flip. They also have poor utilization of their HD signals. Almost everywhere that can get one of their HD signals can already receive their two FM networks in analog. They could flip their HD 2's over to Studio One.
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I could see there being support for it in Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, also maybe Davenport and Council Bluffs.
 
radiorobert said:
I could see there being support for it in Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, also maybe Davenport and Council Bluffs.
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Studio One came out of UNI’s Cedar Falls stations originally and, if I recall correctly, still originates from the studios inherited from UNI.

Also keep in mind that Studio One still is on the evenings on the main FM network, “News & Studio One”.
 
Mark Roberts said:
Studio One came out of UNI’s Cedar Falls stations originally and, if I recall correctly, still originates from the studios inherited from UNI.

Also keep in mind that Studio One still is on the evenings on the main FM network, “News & Studio One”.
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Yes, I would add Waterloo/Cedar Falls to the places it could work 24/7.

I do not however believe it is ready to be on one of the bigger sticks 24/7 unless its the HD subs. Localized FM signals are probably adequate for now for the round the clock Studio One.
 
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