KXKT (103.7 FM) is an American

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

broadcasting a

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

format. Licensed to

Glenwood, Iowa Glenwood is a city in, and the county seat of, Mills County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,073 in the 2020 census, a decline from 5,358 in 2000. History Located in a hollow of the Loess Hills on the east side of the Missouri River, ...

, United States, the station serves the Omaha area. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and licensed as iHM Licenses, LLC. KXKT's studios are located at 50th Street and Underwood Avenue in

Midtown Omaha Midtown is a geographic area of Omaha, Nebraska that is a culturally, socially and economically important area of the city. It is home to major research centers, national corporations, several historic districts, and a number of historic reside ...

, while its transmitter is located at the Omaha master antenna farm at North 72nd Street and Crown Point.

History

Rock/Top 40 (1980–1992)

KXKT started as KJAN-FM, an album rock station. It gradually moved to Top 40, competing against

KQKQ-FM KQKQ-FM (98.5 FM broadcasting, FM, ''Sweet 98-5'') is a radio station broadcasting a hot adult contemporary format. Licensed to Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States, the station serves the Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha metropolitan area. The station is ...

("Sweet 98"). The call letters changed to KOMJ in 1988 and then to KXKT in 1990. With the tower originally in

Atlantic, Iowa Atlantic is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, Iowa, United States, located along the East Nishnabotna River. The population was 6,792 in the 2020 census, a decline from the 7,257 population in 2000. History Atlantic was founded ...

, "103.7 The Kat" struggled against the heritage and popular "Sweet 98."

Alternative (1992)

In April 1992, the station began adding more

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

music in the playlist. By summer of 1992, the station turned to a more straight forward alternative playlist.

Country (1992–present)

However, at Midnight on October 6, 1992, KXKT would abruptly flip to

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

as "KT-103". The last song before the flip was " If I Can't Change Your Mind" by

Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

, while the first song under the country format was by

Travis Tritt James Travis Tritt (born February 9, 1963) is an American country music, country singer-songwriter. He signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1989, releasing seven studio albums and a greatest hits package for the label between then and 1999. In t ...

. "KT-103, Omaha's Continuous Country" kept the same on-air staff (many who had never played country music before) as well as the "Kat" branding, a rarity in the radio industry, where flipping formats usually results in new on-air staffs and branding. KXKT is licensed by the

U.S. Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains ju ...

to broadcast in the HD (hybrid) format.

References

External links

* XKT Radio stations established in 1980 IHeartMedia radio stations {{Iowa-radio-station-stub