KXIC

Last updated
KXIC
KXIC NewsSports800 logo.png
Broadcast area Cedar Rapids; Johnson County
Frequency 800 kHz
BrandingKXIC 800
Programming
Format Sports
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
KKRQ, KKSY-FM, KMJM, KOSY-FM, WMT
History
First air date
June 7, 1947 (1947-06-07)
Call sign meaning
Iowa City
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 29075
Class D
Power
  • 1,000 watts day
  • 199 watts night
Transmitter coordinates
 41°41′15″N91°32′39″W / 41.68750°N 91.54417°W / 41.68750; -91.54417
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen Live
Website kxic.iheart.com

KXIC (800 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Iowa City, Iowa, and serving the Cedar Rapids area as well as Johnson County. The station is owned by iHeartMedia and licensed to iHM Licenses, LLC. It airs a sports radio format, with some news and talk shows. Most programming comes from Fox Sports Radio.

Contents

KXIC operates on 800 kHz, a Mexican clear channel frequency reserved for XEROK in Ciudad Juárez. As a result, it reduces power at night from 1,000 watts to 199; prior to 1986, it broadcast during the daytime only. It uses a directional antenna for both daytime and nighttime operation. [2]

History

The Johnson County Broadcasting Corporation received a construction permit for a new daytime-only radio station in Iowa City from the Federal Communications Commission on December 15, 1947. [3] The permittee was formed by four war veterans, two with prior involvement at WSUI and two employed other stations in the region and sought to bring the first commercial station to Iowa City (WSUI is owned by the University of Iowa). [4] KXIC began broadcasting on June 6, 1948, as an independent outlet. [5] The station was the originating outlet for radio broadcasts of Iowa Hawkeyes football, feeding a statewide network for decades; [6] Gene Claussen called games until the 1980s, when the Hawkeyes consolidated their network under one broadcast originating at WHO. [7] George M. Ludwig, a state representative and father of space scientist George H. Ludwig, served as KXIC's farm editor for 11 years before his death in 1959. [8] While he was in college at the University of Iowa, future NBC newsman Tom Pettit worked at KXIC. [9]

In the 1960s, Interstate 80 was constructed in Iowa. For several years, KXIC protested the condemnation of part of its transmitter site land for use to build the new highway, as the 8.47 acres of land seized was crucial to the station's future plans to increase power from 1,000 to 5,000 watts. [10] The radio station had initially been awarded $13,200 by a commission seizing land for the interstate, but it appealed the award, asking for $75,000 and later $100,000. [11] The case reached the Iowa Supreme Court before it was returned to Johnson County district court, where a jury awarded the station $53,250; [12] the higher court overturned the award because it included inadmissible evidence about a power increase it felt was infeasible. [13] After the interstate was built, studies were conducted to ensure that lighting on the nearby interchange with Dubuque Street did not interfere with KXIC's operation. [14]

With the door shut on an increase to 5,000 watts, KXIC opted to expand into FM broadcasting. In May 1966, KXIC-FM 100.7 signed on. [15] In addition to a new FM station, KXIC constructed expanded studios at the transmitter site. [16]

Former logo KXIC logo.JPG
Former logo

After more than three decades of broadcasting, the Johnson County Broadcasting Company sold KXIC and the FM station, at that time known as KICG, to Tom Ingstad's Red River Valley Broadcasting Corporation in 1979 for $975,000. [17] [18] In the early 1980s, the station jettisoned its longtime full-service middle of the road format [19] to take on country music sound; KXIC then adopted the syndicated Music of Your Life oldies/adult standards format in 1984. [20] Two years later, in September 1986, KXIC was allowed to broadcast at night for the first time, picking up NBC Talknet programs. [21] Several months later, KXIC flipped to classic hits. [22]

Ingstad reached a deal to sell KXIC and KKRQ to Heartland Media, a group headed by Ron Hamilton, in 1987 for $2.3 million. [23] [19] The transaction, however, never closed, and it was not until 1997 that Ingstad would sell the pair to Jacor for $8 million, with KXIC having moved to a news/talk format. [24] Through all of the changes in KXIC history, one fixture remained constant: a daily 15-minute show hosted by Dottie Ray, who had been at the station since 1956 and began the daily show in 1959, hosting the show for 55 years until 2014 and interviewing 32,397 guests on more than 14,000 broadcasts. [25] [26] Her show had survived the Ingstad purchase when advertisers pulled their support upon the announcement of the program's cancellation, prompting its restoration. [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cedar Rapids, Iowa</span> City in Iowa, United States

Cedar Rapids is a city in and the county seat of Linn County, Iowa, United States. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, 20 miles (32 km) north of Iowa City and 128 miles (206 km) northeast of Des Moines, the state's capital. The population was 137,710 at the 2020 census, making it the second-most populous city in Iowa. The population of the three-county Cedar Rapids metropolitan area, which includes the nearby cities of Marion and Hiawatha, was 276,520 in 2020. Cedar Rapids is the economic hub of Eastern Iowa, located at the core of the Interstate 380 corridor. The Cedar Rapids metropolitan area is also part of a combined statistical area with the Iowa City metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KKXL (AM)</span> The Fan sports radio station in Grand Forks, North Dakota

KKXL is an AM radio station broadcasting a sports format serving Grand Forks, North Dakota. The station is currently owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.

WOI – branded Iowa Public Radio – is a non-commercial AM radio station licensed to Ames, Iowa, and serving the Des Moines metropolitan area. Owned by Iowa Public Radio, it is a listener-supported public radio station airing a news and talk format. WOI 640 is the flagship station for Iowa Public Radio's News Network, affiliated with NPR, Public Radio International and the BBC World Service. Its transmitter is located at a two-tower array off Zumwalt Station Road near Y Avenue, southwest of Ames.

KFXA is a television station licensed to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States, serving Eastern Iowa as an affiliate of the digital multicast network Dabl. It is owned by Second Generation of Iowa, Ltd., which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of dual CBS/Fox affiliate KGAN, for the provision of certain services. The two stations share studios at Broadcast Park on Old Marion Road Northeast in Cedar Rapids; KFXA's transmitter is located in Van Horne, Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHO (AM)</span> Clear-channel news/talk radio station in Des Moines, Iowa

WHO is a commercial AM radio station in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The station is owned by iHeartMedia and carries a conservative news/talk radio format, with studios on Grand Avenue in Des Moines.

KGYM is a radio station broadcasting in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The station is owned by KZIA, Inc., which also owns KZIA. It is Cedar Rapids' second-oldest radio station, after WMT.

<i>The Gazette</i> (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Daily print newspaper in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

The Gazette is a daily print newspaper and online news source published in the American city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The first paper was published as an evening journal, branded the Evening Gazette, on January 10, 1883.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KRRO</span> Radio station in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

KRRO is a radio station in Sioux Falls, South Dakota airing a mainstream rock format. The station is owned by Duey E. Wright through licensee Midwest Communications, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMT (AM)</span> News/talk radio station in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

WMT is a commercial AM radio station in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It broadcasts a news/talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios are co-located with former sister station KGAN-TV channel 2, near the intersection of Collins Road and Old Marion Road NE in Cedar Rapids, in a building known as "Broadcast Park".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KZIA</span> Radio station in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

KZIA, known as "Z 102.9", is a radio station based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It has a Top 40 (CHR) format primarily staffed with local personalities, including morning DJs Dancin' Eric Hanson, Clare Duffy, and Producer Ben, known as “The Morning Scramble.” Eric and Clare were recognized as the Iowa Broadcasters of the Year in 2022 by the Iowa Broadcasters Association. Other hosts include Lady J, Those Girls in the Afternoon with Destiny and Taylor, and Jaidyn on the Night Show. The station's transmitter is located in Hiawatha, Iowa, and its signal reaches most of eastern Iowa, including Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Waterloo, and the Quad Cities area. It also reaches Prairie du Chien, and Platteville, both in Wisconsin.

WSUI is a public radio station in Iowa City, Iowa. It is owned by Iowa Public Radio, Inc. and is a member of Iowa Public Radio's news network. Its signal serves most of eastern Iowa. WSUI is one of two National Public Radio member stations in the region, along with 90.9 KUNI in Cedar Falls. WSUI's sister station is classical music outlet 91.7 KSUI.

KSUI is a radio station broadcasting a classical music format. Located near Iowa City, Iowa, United States, the station serves the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City areas. The station is currently owned by Iowa Public Radio, Inc. It is the flagship station of Iowa Public Radio's classical music network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KRUI-FM</span> Student-run radio station at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa

KRUI-FM is a radio station broadcasting a Variety format. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States, the station is licensed to Student Broadcasters Inc. KRUI began at the University of Iowa in 1952 as KWAD, and in 1968 the station's call letters changed to KICR. In 1984, the FCC granted an FM license to KRUI.

KRNA (94.1 FM) is a classic rock-formatted radio station licensed to Iowa City, Iowa. The station is currently owned by Townsquare Media. KRNA's studios located in the Alliant Energy Building in Downtown Cedar Rapids, and their transmitter is located west of Oxford.

KWSN is a radio station carrying a sports format with Fox Sports Radio programming. The station serves the Sioux Falls, South Dakota, area. It was acquired by Midwest Communications, Inc. in 2012. This station is also aired on a translator, K251BH, at 98.1 FM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KMRY</span> Radio station in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

KMRY is a radio station licensed to serve Cedar Rapids, Iowa, owned by Jim Ecker, through licensee Ecker Broadcasting Co.

KDAT is a radio station broadcasting an adult contemporary music format. Licensed to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the station serves the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City area. The station is currently owned by Townsquare Media. KDAT's studios are located in the Alliant Energy Building on Second Street SE in Cedar Rapids, and its transmitter is located in Robins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KMRV</span> Radio station in Waukon, Iowa

KMRV was a commercial radio station that served the Waukon, Iowa, area. KMRV was originally a daytime-only station broadcasting on 1140 kHz, with the call letters KNEI. The station was last owned by Wennes Communications. KMRV's format continues to be heard on KDEC in Decorah and 100.5 FM (HD2) KDHK, which replaced KMRV as the source of translator K256CS at closure.

KIAI is a commercial radio station that serves the areas of Mason City, Iowa and Austin–Albert Lea, Minnesota. The station broadcasts a Country format. KIAI is owned by Alpha Media, through licensee Alpha 3E Licensee LLC, which owns several other radio stations in Iowa and Minnesota. KIAI's studios are located on Yorktown Pike in eastern Mason City.

Dottie Ray was an American journalist and radio host. While a student at the University of Iowa she joined the student newspaper, the Daily Iowan, and became its first female editor-in-chief. Ray led an all-female editorial team during World War II and employed her future husband, Robert Ray, to write editorials. She moved with Robert to Albany, New York, but returned to Iowa after three years. Ray was asked to become a host for Iowa radio station KXIC around 1959 and accepted when the station offered to set up a studio in her house so she could manage her childcare. She initially presented a show as "President Alice" interviewing children on their birthdays. Ray was offered a 15-minute show interviewing local personalities which ran weekly from September 4, 1959, as the Dottie Ray Show. The show survived cancellation in 1980 and ran until 2014, by which time she had broadcast 14,444 shows and interviewed 32,397 people. Ray was entered into the Iowa Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in 2008 and received the national Marconi Small Market Personality of the Year award in 2014. She was featured in a documentary in June 2016.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for KXIC". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ "KXIC". fccdata.org. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  3. ↑ FCC History Cards for KXIC
  4. ↑ "Two Groups Seek Right to Operate Radio Station". The Democrat and Leader. February 9, 1947. p. 12. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Iowa City's New Radio Station, KXIC, Will Go on Air Sunday at 2 P.M." Iowa City Press-Citizen. June 5, 1948. p. 2. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  6. ↑ "To Air Hawkeye Grid Games Here". Sioux City Journal. September 23, 1958. p. B2. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  7. ↑ Hansen, Marc (May 7, 1987). "Which voice will be the one?". Des Moines Register. p. 1S. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Father of SUI Space Scientist Dies". Times Herald. Associated Press. November 16, 1959. p. 7. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  9. ↑ Rexroat, Dee Ann (December 21, 1985). "NBC newsman Tom Pettit gets back to basics". The Cedar Rapids Gazette. p. TV Vision 3. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Iowa Supreme Court Rules On 2 Appeals From County". Iowa City Press-Citizen. October 20, 1964. p. 4. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Court to hear condemnation suit appeal". Globe-Gazette. Associated Press. May 13, 1964. p. 3. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Jury Raises Land Award". Iowa City Press-Citizen. March 18, 1965. p. 2. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Property Case Is Remanded". Iowa City Press-Citizen. March 8, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  14. ↑ "New Lighting May Hamper Broadcasting". The Cedar Rapids Gazette. June 11, 1970. p. 9C. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  15. ↑ "FM Broadcast Station Begins Operation Here". Iowa City Press-Citizen. May 10, 1966. p. 18. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Iowa City Station Will Build Studio". The Cedar Rapids Gazette. June 24, 1965. p. 31. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Local radio stations to get new owners". Iowa City Press-Citizen. May 12, 1979. p. 2A. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  18. ↑ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. August 27, 1979. p. 44. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  19. 1 2 Muller, Lyle (August 14, 1987). "Two Iowa City radio stations sold". The Cedar Rapids Gazette. p. 6B. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  20. ↑ "KXIC-AM drops its country format". The Cedar Rapids Gazette. November 9, 1984. p. 7B. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  21. ↑ Schuelke, Kent (September 8, 1986). "KXIC to turn on 'Talknet' tonight". Iowa City Press-Citizen. p. 1C. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  22. ↑ "KXIC format goes classic". The Cedar Rapids Gazette. March 14, 1987. p. TV Vision 20. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Transactions" (PDF). Radio & Records. September 18, 1987. p. 14. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Transactions" (PDF). Radio & Records. July 4, 1997. p. 6. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  25. ↑ Gruber-Miller, Stephen (August 9, 2016). "KXIC legend Dottie Ray was a 'pioneer in broadcasting'". Iowa City Press-Citizen. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Dottie Ray Passes Away At 93; Hosted At KXIC/Iowa City For 55 Years". All Access. August 10, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Iowa City radio icon Dottie Ray dies at 93". The Cedar Rapids Gazette. August 9, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.