KKSO (1390

kHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base uni ...

) was a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

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 ...

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

. The station was owned by Barnstable Broadcasting, and was supplanted by its expanded band successor,

KBGG KBGG (1700 AM broadcasting, AM) is a currently silent commercial radio station in Des Moines, Iowa. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and it aired a sports radio, sports radio format, known as "101.3 & 1700 The Champ". KBGG's studios and o ...

1700 AM, in 2001.

History

KKSO

signed on A sign-on (or start-up in Commonwealth countries except Canada) is the beginning of operations for a radio broadcasting, radio or television station, generally at the start of each day. It is the opposite of a sign-off (or closedown in Commonw ...

in 1947 as KCBC. The station was owned by Capital City Broadcasting Company and was a

network affiliate In the broadcasting industry (particularly in North America, and even more in the United States), a network affiliate or affiliated station is a local broadcaster, owned by a company other than the owner of the network, which carries some or a ...

of the

Mutual Broadcasting System The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the Golden Age of Radio, ...

. KCBC broadcast on 1390

kilocycle The cycle per second is a once-common English name for the unit of frequency now known as the ''hertz'' (Hz). Cycles per second may be denoted by c.p.s., c/s, or, ambiguously, just "cycles" (Cyc., Cy., C, or c). The term comes from repetitive ph ...

s with a 1,000 watt

directional antenna A directional antenna or beam antenna is an antenna that radiates or receives greater radio wave power in specific directions. Directional antennas can radiate radio waves in beams, when greater concentration of radiation in a certain directio ...

day and night. In 1949, an FM station was launched on 94.1 MHz, as

KCBC-FM KCBC-FM (94.1 FM, "KCBC 94") was a radio station in Des Moines, Iowa, from 1949 to 1952. Its studios were located at 2323 Grand Avenue on the near west side of Des Moines. The original transmitter and tower were also located on the property un ...

. That station went off the air in 1953, and the license was deleted by the

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 j ...

(FCC). In 1983, KCBC became KMRY, mostly

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...

ing the

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 ...

of co-owned

KJJY KJJY (92.5 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to West Des Moines and serving Central Iowa. Cumulus Media owns two country music outlets in the Des Moines radio market, KJJY and 97.3 KHKI. KHKI plays mostly current and recent countr ...

. In 1990, it became KKSO (in reference to the heritage KSO call sign vacated the prior year). On April 25, 1995, KKSO became an

affiliate Affiliation or affiliate may refer to: * Affiliate (commerce), a legal form of entity relationship used in Business Law * Affiliation (family law), a legal form of family relationship * Affiliate marketing * Affiliate network or affiliation platfo ...

Radio AAHS Radio AAHS was an American radio network owned and operated by the Children's Broadcasting Corporation. The flagship station of the format was WWTC (1280 AM) in Minneapolis, from where network programming originated at the former First Federal ...

Expanded Band assignment and deletion

On March 17, 1997, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that eighty-eight stations had been given permission to move to newly available " Expanded Band" transmitting frequencies, ranging from 1610 to 1700 kHz, with KKSO authorized to move from 1390 to 1700 kHz."FCC Public Notice: Mass Media Bureau Announces Revised AM Expanded Band Allotment Plan and Filing Window for Eligible Stations"
(FCC DA 97-537), March 17, 1997. A construction permit for the expanded band station was assigned the call letters

on November 12, 1997. The FCC's initial policy was that both the original station and its expanded band counterpart could operate simultaneously for up to five years, after which owners would have to turn in one of the two licenses, depending on whether they preferred the new assignment or elected to remain on the original frequency. It was ultimately decided to transfer full operations to the expanded band station, and on February 2, 2001, the license for KKSO was cancelled.Facility details for Facility ID 22888 (KKSO)
in the FCC Licensing and Management System In July 2024, the FCC granted the KKSO call letters to an Iowa Public Radio outlet in the Des Moines metro on 88.9, effective August 30 of 2024. This marks a return of the call letters to the Des Moines radio market since they disappeared in the late 1990's.

References

External links

in the FCC Licensing and Management System
FCC History Cards for KKSO
(covering 1944–1980 as KCBC) {{Des Moines Radio Radio stations established in 1947 1947 establishments in Iowa Radio stations disestablished in 2001 2001 disestablishments in Iowa Radio stations in Des Moines, Iowa Defunct radio stations in the United States Defunct mass media in Iowa