KRNT (1350 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a sports format. Serving the Des Moines, Iowa, United States, area, the station is owned by Saga Communications through licensee Saga Communications of Iowa, LLC; it operates as part of Saga's Des Moines Radio Group.
| Broadcast area | Des Moines area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1350 kHz |
| Branding | ESPN Des Moines |
| Programming | |
| Format | Sports |
| Affiliations | ESPN Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KAZR, KIOA, KOEZ, KPSZ, KSTZ | |
| History | |
First air date | 1925 |
Former call signs | KSO (1925–1935) |
Former frequencies |
|
Call sign meaning | Des Moines Register and Tribune (previous owner) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 58534 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 5,000 watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°33′31″N 93°34′45″W / 41.55861°N 93.57917°W |
| Translator(s) | 102.1 K271CO (Des Moines) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | espndesmoines.com |
Studios are located on Locust Street in Des Moines, with its 4-tower transmitter array located on King Avenue in Des Moines.
Programming
editKRNT features programming from ESPN Radio.[2] In addition, it serves as the broadcast outlet for several sports teams:[3]
- Drake University athletics (football, men's and women's basketball)
- Chicago Cubs baseball
History
edit
KSO
editThe station was first licensed on October 9, 1925, to the A. A. Berry Seed Company in Clarinda, Iowa, transmitting on 1240 kHz, with the call sign KSO.[6] The call letters reflected the slogan "Keep Serving Others".[4]
In 1926, an adverse legal decision briefly eliminated the ability of the U.S. government to assign station frequencies and powers, and as of December 31, 1926, KSO was reported to now be at 740 kHz.[7] The next year government control was re-established with the formation of the Federal Radio Commission (FRC), and on July 1, 1927, KSO was reassigned to 1320 kHz.[8] Effective November 11, 1928, with the implementation of the FRC's General Order 40, the station moved to 1380 kHz.[9]
On June 26, 1931, the Cowles family, publishers of the Des Moines Register and Tribune, bought KSO,[10] via the Iowa Broadcasting Company. The new owners received permission to move KSO from Clarinda to Des Moines, and to begin broadcasting on 1370 kHz. KSO made its debut broadcast from the new location on November 5, 1932.[11] In 1934, KSO was reassigned to 1320 kHz.
KRNT
editOn March 17, 1935, the callsign KSO was transferred to the former KWCR on 1430 kHz, which was relocated from Cedar Rapids to Des Moines. Concurrently, the call letters of the original KSO on 1320 kHz were changed to KRNT.[12] At that time, both stations were owned and operated by subsidiary corporations of the Des Moines Register-Tribune.[12]
In March 1941, stations on 1320 kHz, including KRNT, were moved to the 1350 kHz, as part of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement.[13] In August 1941, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) began implementation of a "duopoly" rule, which restricted licensees from operating more than one radio station in a given market.[14]
KRNT won a Peabody Award in 1945 for outstanding reporting of news.[15]
Then-owners Cowles Media started up a sister station, KRNT-FM (104.5) in 1948, but took it off the air and returned the license in 1955. In 1970, they signed on a second KRNT-FM (102.5 FM).[16]
For years, KRNT carried an adult standards format, supplemented by sports programming (most notably the Chicago Cubs and Drake University athletics). In 2015, the adult standards format was moved to sister station KAZR's HD2 subchannel and translator K283CC 104.5 FM. KRNT was rebranded ESPN Des Moines as it became the market's ESPN Radio affiliate.[17]
In April 2022, station owner Saga Communications requested a waiver to change the call sign back to the original KSO. However, broadcasting stations were now generally required to have four-letter call signs, and the FCC was unwilling to make an exception.[18]
Previous logos
edit
References
edit- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KRNT". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "KRNT Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ^ "Historic des Moines radio station switches to all-sports format". The Des Moines Register.
- ^ a b "Agricultural Seed Company" (advertisement), The Farm Journal, January 1926, page 36.
- ^ "The Des Moines Register and Tribune" (advertisement), Broadcasting, February 1, 1933, page 24.
- ^ "New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, November 2, 1925, page 3.
- ^ "Broadcasting Stations, alphabetically by call signals", Radio Service Bulletin, December 31, 1926, page 12.
- ^ "List of licensed broadcasting stations arranged by call letters in effect July 1, 1927", page 64.
- ^ "Revised list of broadcasting stations, by frequencies, effective 3 a. m., November 11, 1928, eastern standard time", Second Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission for the Year Ended June 30, 1928, Together With Supplemental Report for the Period From July 1, 1928 to September 30, 1928, page 211.
- ^ Davison, George F. Jr. (2002). "KRNT-KSO History". Retrieved January 16, 2006.
- ^ "New Staff in Charge When KSO Joins CBS After Des Moines Move", Broadcasting, November 15, 1932, page 12.
- ^ a b "Change in Iowa Calls", Broadcasting, April 1, 1935, page 20.
- ^ Arrangement between the United States of America, Canada, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Mexico, comprising recommendations of the North American Regional Radio-Engineering Meeting (supplemental to North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement, Habana, 1937). Signed at Washington January 30, 1941; effective March 29, 1941, page 1486.
- ^ "Ban On Multiple Ownership in Same Area", Broadcasting, August 11, 1941, pages 6-7.
- ^ "KRNT Radio Institutional Award for Outstanding Reporting of the News".
- ^ "Des Moines Station Timeline".
- ^ "Saga Launches ESPN des Moines; KRNT Moves to FM".
- ^ "Saga Fights For Long Lost Three Letter Call Sign in Des Moines", May 23, 2022 (insideradio.com)
External links
edit- Facility details for Facility ID 58534 (KRNT) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- KRNT in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- Facility details for Facility ID 156487 (K271CO) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- K271CO at FCCdata.org
- FCC History Cards for KRNT (covering 1927-1980 as KSO/KRNT)