KTGR (1580
AM) is a
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
sports
Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...
format, with programming from the
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio, which is alternatively branded platform-agnostically as ESPN Audio, is an American sports radio network and extension of the ESPN television network. It was launched on January 1, 1992, under the banner "SportsRadio ESPN". The netw ...
network. Licensed to
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is a city in Missouri, United States. It was founded in 1821 as the county seat of Boone County, Missouri, Boone County and had a population of 126,254 as recorded in the 2020 United States census, making it the List of cities in Misso ...
, United States, the station serves the Columbia, Missouri, area. The station is currently owned by Zimmer Radio Group of Mid-Missouri.
History
The station was assigned the call letters KBIA by the FCC on October 7, 1954, and began broadcasting in April 1955. Owner Cecil W. Roberts was a former newspaper publisher from
Farmington, Mo., who eventually built a chain of a dozen radio stations in six states, all jointly owned by Roberts and his wife, Jane A. Roberts. KBIA became the third radio station in Columbia, joining KFRU (1925) and KOWS 1240 (1937).
As an affiliate of the Missouri Sports Network, KBIA carried
University of Missouri football games in 1960.
[''St. Louis Globe-Democrat'', September 16, 1960]
The station was sold in April 1961 to Barrington Broadcasting Co. for $90,000 (principals were Aubrey D. Reid and his wife, who owned WEW-AM in St. Louis, Mo., and WKYB-AM and WKYB-FM in Paducah, Ky.) In June 1961, the call letters were changed to KCGM.
In November 1966, a subsequent owner, Tiger Broadcasting Co., changed the call letters to KTGR.
The station in its early days ran a
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
music format until 1978, when both KTGR and
KCMQ swapped formats.
Translators
In addition to the main station, KTGR is relayed by an additional translator to widen its broadcast area.
References
External links
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Radio Broadcasting History: KTGR
TGR
{{Missouri-radio-station-stub