KMRY

For the airport in Monterey, California, assigned ICAO code KMRY, see Monterey Regional Airport.
KMRY
City Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Broadcast area Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Branding Classic KMRY
Slogan Greatest Hits of All Time
Frequency 1450 kHz
Translator(s) 93.1 K226BO (Cedar Rapids)
First air date AM signal – August 14, 1948 (as KWCR)[1]
FM signal – July 1, 2011
Format Classic Hits
Power 1,000 watts (unlimited)
ERP 250 watts (K226BO)
Class C (KMRY), D (K226BO)
Facility ID 17697 (KMRY), 145166 (K226BO)
Transmitter coordinates 42°00′25″N 91°42′29″W / 42.00694°N 91.70806°W / 42.00694; -91.70806 (KMRY)
42°01′57″N 91°40′24″W / 42.03250°N 91.67333°W / 42.03250; -91.67333 (K226BO)
Callsign meaning K-MemoRY (former branding)
Former callsigns KWCR
KPIG[1]
KLWW
KCDR[2]
Affiliations CBS Radio Network
Owner Sellers Broadcasting, Inc.
Webcast Listen Live
Website kmryradio.com

KMRY (1450 AM, "Classic KMRY") is a radio station licensed to serve Cedar Rapids, Iowa, owned by Sellers Broadcasting, Inc.

The station was assigned the KMRY call letters by the Federal Communications Commission on November 21, 1988.[2]

Awards

In September 2002, the station (as KLWW, its 1960s incarnation) was inducted into the Iowa Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.[1][3]

In November 2002, station owner and long-time morning host Rick Sellers was honored with the Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival Peter Teahen Award.[4]

Programming

The station broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The bulk of its music programming, the "Greatest Hits of All Time," consists of Top 40 hits from the mid 1960s to the mid 1980s.

The station employs three LIVE on-air personalities weekdays for its morning drive (Eric Walker), mid-mornings (Ricky Bartlett) and afternoon show (Susan Gordon).

Each weekday during the 12:00 - 1:00 PM hour, the station airs a block of #1 hits from a single year, from the same era as its general music programming.

Music broadcasts at other hours, including the noon - 3pm weekdays, are automated.

In addition to its music programming, KMRY is the radio home of the Cedar Rapids Kernels of minor league baseball's Midwest League.[5] In 2006, the station reached a four-year deal with the team to air its games exclusively.[6] Previously, game broadcasts had been split between KMRY and KCRG. In September 2012, the station completed its fifth season of Kernels baseball broadcasts.

Additionally, the station is the home for Xavier High School athletics, including football broadcasts featuring the voice of the Xavier Saints, Scot Hughes, and color commentary by the school's athletic director, Mike Winker.

The station carries CBS Radio news at the top of every hour.

On Saturdays, Elvis Only, an hour-long syndicated show hosted by Jay Gordon remembering the life and music of Elvis Presley is aired. (12PM/10PM) On Sunday mornings, the station airs Sunday Morning Church Services from First Lutheran Church In Cedar Rapids (8:30-9:00 AM) Followed be a block of Polka music. (9:05AM–12:00PM)

HD radio

In 2004, KMRY became the first AM radio station in Iowa to implement HD Radio broadcasting.[1][7] On January 4, 2004, the first consumer sale of a commercial HD radio, a Kenwood model KTC-HR 100 converter, was made at Ultimate Electronics in Cedar Rapids as a publicity stunt before the national debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas later that week.[8] As of September 2012, the station was no longer broadcasting in HD.

FM Radio

On July 1, 2011 KMRY began simulcasting its AM programming on FM, broadcasting a 250 watt signal on 93.1 MHz from translator K226BO in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (originally located in Anamosa, Iowa).

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Station History". KMRY station website.
  2. 1 2 "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
  3. "KLWW/KMRY 1450 AM". Iowa Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
  4. Hogan, Dick (2002-11-20). "Freedom Festival honors C.R. broadcaster". The Gazette (Cedar Rapids-Iowa City).
  5. "Radio Broadcast". Cedar Rapids Kernels website.
  6. "C.R. Kernels games exclusively on KMRY-AM". The Gazette (Cedar Rapids-Iowa City, IA). 2006-11-15.
  7. Davidson, Paul (2005-08-23). "Digital radio emerges into the future". USA Today. KMRY-AM, an adult standards music station in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, added digital two years ago, hoping the fuller, clearer sound attracts new listeners. "It's going to save (AM) stations like us," says KMRY owner Rick Sellers. "I'm not going to double my audience, but by God, I can be (the city's No. 4 station), up from No. 7."
  8. Ford, George C. (2004-01-05). "C.R. station pioneers digital radio". The Gazette (Cedar Rapids-Iowa City).

External links

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