KMER
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

KMER (940 AM) 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 on 940 kHz and is licensed to Kemmerer, Wyoming. It primarily broadcasts a country format, but occasionally broadcasts local
high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...
and
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
games from Kemmerer as well. KMER has national news at the top of the hour and weather during commercial breaks. KMER has a sister station KDWY 105.3 FM, which is licensed to Diamondville.


History

KMER began broadcasting in April 1963 on 950 kHz. The station was owned by Lincoln Broadcasting Company, and had a power of 1,000 watts. The transmitter was located near
US Highway 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route of the United States Numbered Highway System, with the highway traveling across the Northern U.S. With a length of , it is the third-longest U.S. Highway, afte ...
. The studios were located at 436 Fossil Butte Drive in Kemmerer. Five years later in 1968, the station applied to increase power to 5,000 watts. Until 2006, KMER was a
daytimer A clear-channel station is a North American AM radio station that has the highest level of protection from interference from other stations, particularly from nighttime skywave signals. This classification exists to ensure the viability of cross ...
, signing off at local sunset to protect other stations on the frequency. The station was sold to Big Wyoming Broadcasting Corporation in 1979. KMER's primary coverage area is southwestern Wyoming, including Evanston, Green River, and Rock Springs. During its time on 950, the station was an affiliate of the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
. KMER was also once an affiliate of the
Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...
baseball team. The station went through a number of different owners in the 1990s. In the 1990s, the station carried a country format. In 2004, owner Chaparral Broadcasting sold the station and its sister KDWY to Utah-based Simmons Media.


Move to 940

In 2006, in order to accommodate nearby KOVO AM 960's move from
Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Utah County, Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front, and lies between the cities of Orem, Utah, Orem to the north and Springville, Utah, Springville to the south ...
to
Bluffdale, Utah Bluffdale is a city in Salt Lake and Utah counties in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 17,014. History Bluffdale, named for its geography of bluffs and dales, was ...
(which ultimately did not happen), KMER was forced to change its frequency from 950 to 940 and lower its power so as to not interfere with KOVO. Both stations were at the time owned by Simmons Media. KOVO did relocate their towers, however it is unclear if the frequency change was necessary. KMER is listed as broadcasting in AM Stereo, or at least did broadcast in stereo. Simmons' stations were purchased by Broadway Media, also a Utah-based radio operator, in 2014. Sister station
KAOX KAOX (107.9 FM) is a news/talk formatted radio station licensed to Shelley, Idaho. Known as "NewsTalk 107.9", the station is owned by Sandhill Media Group. History KAOX received a construction permit on 107.3 from Kemmerer, Wyoming on November ...
, was included in the sale. KMER was an oldies station throughout the 2000s until it was purchased by Star Valley Media in 2018. Following the sale, the station became a simulcast of KRSV in
Afton, Wyoming Afton is a town in Lincoln County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 2,172 at the 2020 census. Afton is home to the world's largest arch made of elk antlers. Spanning across the four lanes of U.S. Highway 89, the arch, completed in ...
, carrying a country music format. SVI Media noted that at the time of sale, both KMER and sister KDWY were off air. Most of the broadcasting equipment at the studio was "archaic" and needed to be upgraded. The stations returned to air with a
soft opening A soft launch, also known as a soft opening, is a preview release of a product or service to a limited audience prior to the general public. Soft-launching a product is sometimes used to gather data or customer feedback, prior to making it wid ...
, before fully returning to air with newer equipment. The current owners also stated they would add local high school football broadcasts at a later date.


References


External links


K223DD FCC Data
{{Country Radio Stations in Wyoming MER Country radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1963 Lincoln County, Wyoming