KCBC-FM (defunct)

Last updated
KCBC-FM
KCBCFM.jpg
City Des Moines, Iowa
BrandingKCBC 94
Slogan "Small But Mighty"
Frequency 94.1 (MHz)
First air date 1949
Format Easy Listening
ERP 10,000 watts
OwnerCapital City Broadcasting Company

KCBC-FM (94.1 FM, "KCBC 94") was a radio station in Des Moines, Iowa from 1949-1953. 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 until 1950. In 1950, KCBC purchased the former WHO-FM transmitter and tower on top of the Equitable Building at 6th and Locust in downtown Des Moines.

FM broadcasting

FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting using frequency modulation (FM) technology. Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. FM broadcasting is capable of better sound quality than AM broadcasting, the chief competing radio broadcasting technology, so it is used for most music broadcasts. Theoretically wideband AM can offer equally good sound quality, provided the reception conditions are ideal. FM radio stations use the VHF frequencies. The term "FM band" describes the frequency band in a given country which is dedicated to FM broadcasting.

Des Moines, Iowa Capital of Iowa

Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857. It is on and named after the Des Moines River, which likely was adapted from the early French name, Rivière des Moines, meaning "River of the Monks". The city's population was 217,521 as of the 2017 population estimate. The five-county metropolitan area is ranked 89th in terms of population in the United States with 634,725 residents according to the 2016 estimate by the United States Census Bureau, and is the second largest metropolitan area in the state after that of Omaha, Nebraska, which includes three counties in southwest Iowa.

KDRB

KDRB is a commercial FM radio station in Des Moines, Iowa. It airs an adult hits radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia. It's slogan is "We Play Everything." KDRB is the flagship station for Iowa State University sports.

Format

The format that KCBC-FM adopted was an Easy Listening/Musak format that was targeted at people riding the city's buses. At the rear of KCBC's Grand Avenue property there was a barn where they installed FM receivers in the city's buses. The plan to target music and advertisements to the city's bus riders was not a profitable one, and after just four years, KCBC-FM left the air, donating their transmitter to the Des Moines Public Schools. The school district used the transmitter to put KDPS on air the same year at 88.1 FM. After KCBC-FM's licence was deleted in 1953, no other station in Des Moines has used the 94.1 frequency until 2005, when a low-powered radio station from Grand View University, KGVC-LP, signed on at 94.1 FM.

Des Moines Public Schools

The Des Moines Public Schools is the largest public school district in Iowa. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges and the Iowa Department of Education.

KDPS

KDPS is a radio station in Des Moines, Iowa. The station is owned by Des Moines Public Schools. The school district programs the station during daytime hours with a variety of rock music styles and staffs it with high school students who are learning radio. Most evenings and on weekends, KDPS is programmed by Grand View University with alternative rock music on weeknights and children's music on weekends, however every Friday is called Hip Hop Friday, as they play hip hop the entire day.

Grand View University

Grand View University is a private Lutheran liberal arts university in Des Moines, Iowa. Founded in 1896 and affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the university enrolls approximately 2,000 students and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

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