Source: personal recollection.
Cape Girardeau was both blessed and cursed at the same time, blessed in that it sat on some of the 'wettest' ground for AM, so reception was great. A 250-watt station, as two locals were, carried a good signal at least 40-50 miles. But it was also cursed in that only one AM station was fulltime; the other three were daytimers.
Curiously, it was the two little AMs (1170 and 1220) which had the best engineering, best audio, best jingles and highest production values. Listening to 'em, you wouldn't have suspected they were 250-watt daytimers. The Zimmer family, which put KZYM on the air in 1966, parlayed that little station into a massive regional broadcast empire, Zimmer Radio Group.
* = local station; KJAS was actually in Jackson, Mo. ~10 mi away and county seat
550 - KSD/St. Louis - AC
570 - WKYX/Paducah KY - Top-40 (gone at night)
630 - KXOK/St. Louis - Top-40
830 - KBOA/Kennett - Country/AC mix
930 - KWOC/Poplar Bluff - Country
*960 - KFVS - MOR/AC/"chicken rock"
1080 - KYMO/East Prairie - Country-AM; Top-40/AOR-PM
1120 - KMOX/St. Louis - MOR
*1170 - KJAS - Top-40 (250w-D)
*1220 - KZYM - Country (250w-D)
1350 - KCHR/Charleston - Country (daytimer)
1400 - KSIM/Sikeston - Top-40 (gone at night)
1520 - KMPL/Sikeston - MOR (gone at night)
*1550 - KGMO - Top-40 (5 kW-D, DA)
*90.9 - KRCU (S.E. Missouri State U.) - typical low-power college FM
92.7 - WRAJ/Anna, IL - Top-40
93.3 - WKYQ/Paducah, KY - Country
95.5 - KJEZ/Poplar Bluff - MOR
96.9 - WPAD-FM/Paducah, KY "Rock 97" - Top-40/AOR mix
97.7 - KSTG/Sikeston "Top Gun" - automated country (mono)
98.5 - KTJJ/Farmington "Country Lovin'" - automated country
*99.3 - KJAQ "Q-99" - Signed on 12/13/1978 - Top-40/AOR mix
*100.7 - KGMO-FM - Top-40
101.5 - WCIL-FM/Carbondale, IL - Top-40
*102.9 - KFMP - Easy Listening
105.7 - KSGM/Ste. Genevive - Variety
107.9 - WDDD/Marion, IL - Country
Cape Girardeau was both blessed and cursed at the same time, blessed in that it sat on some of the 'wettest' ground for AM, so reception was great. A 250-watt station, as two locals were, carried a good signal at least 40-50 miles. But it was also cursed in that only one AM station was fulltime; the other three were daytimers.
Curiously, it was the two little AMs (1170 and 1220) which had the best engineering, best audio, best jingles and highest production values. Listening to 'em, you wouldn't have suspected they were 250-watt daytimers. The Zimmer family, which put KZYM on the air in 1966, parlayed that little station into a massive regional broadcast empire, Zimmer Radio Group.
* = local station; KJAS was actually in Jackson, Mo. ~10 mi away and county seat
550 - KSD/St. Louis - AC
570 - WKYX/Paducah KY - Top-40 (gone at night)
630 - KXOK/St. Louis - Top-40
830 - KBOA/Kennett - Country/AC mix
930 - KWOC/Poplar Bluff - Country
*960 - KFVS - MOR/AC/"chicken rock"
1080 - KYMO/East Prairie - Country-AM; Top-40/AOR-PM
1120 - KMOX/St. Louis - MOR
*1170 - KJAS - Top-40 (250w-D)
*1220 - KZYM - Country (250w-D)
1350 - KCHR/Charleston - Country (daytimer)
1400 - KSIM/Sikeston - Top-40 (gone at night)
1520 - KMPL/Sikeston - MOR (gone at night)
*1550 - KGMO - Top-40 (5 kW-D, DA)
*90.9 - KRCU (S.E. Missouri State U.) - typical low-power college FM
92.7 - WRAJ/Anna, IL - Top-40
93.3 - WKYQ/Paducah, KY - Country
95.5 - KJEZ/Poplar Bluff - MOR
96.9 - WPAD-FM/Paducah, KY "Rock 97" - Top-40/AOR mix
97.7 - KSTG/Sikeston "Top Gun" - automated country (mono)
98.5 - KTJJ/Farmington "Country Lovin'" - automated country
*99.3 - KJAQ "Q-99" - Signed on 12/13/1978 - Top-40/AOR mix
*100.7 - KGMO-FM - Top-40
101.5 - WCIL-FM/Carbondale, IL - Top-40
*102.9 - KFMP - Easy Listening
105.7 - KSGM/Ste. Genevive - Variety
107.9 - WDDD/Marion, IL - Country