101.5 FM, Hastings

Through the Years

• 1965

  February, 1965-  Station signs on as KICS-FM. Studios/offices & transmitter located at 500 J Street, on the southeast edge of Hastings, NE on U.S. Highway 6.  Co-located with KICS AM.  2,700 watts at 159 feet (Class A).  Simulcast KICS AM 100%.

• 1967

  September 9, 1967-  Voluntary assignment from K-Bar-J to Hastings Broadcasting, Inc. (Jack Dinsdale, President).  Dave Nixon, Vice-President/General Manager.  Roger Harper, Program Director; Lloyd Thomas, News Director.

• 1969

  John McMillan, General Manager.  KICS FM duplicates KICS AM programming 50%.

• 1970

  General Manager- Bob Templeton.  Format: Contemporary

• 1975

  February 6, 1975-  Voluntary assignment of license to Apache Broadcasting Corporation for $160,000.
  (Charles Sweatt, Chairman).  Kenneth Gruszaecki, Vice President/General Manager.  Brian Downey, Program Director; Tom Robson, General Sales Manager; Rich Dillman, News Director; Don Small, Chief Engineer.  Programming duplicates KICS AM 50%, otherwise a Progressive format.

• 1978

  December 14, 1978-  Voluntary assignment of licenses to Highwood Broadcasting Company (James J. DePalma & wife Letitia) for $475,000.  DePalma is President & General Manager. Shawn Schleif, Program Director; Tony Edmonson, News Director; Dan Small, Chief Engineer.

• 1979

  Station call letters changed from KICS to KEZH FM.

• 1981

  Format flip to Beautiful Music.

• 1983

  January 1, 1983-Highwood (DePalma) sells to Tri-Cities Broadcasting (R. D. Hanna, President, Edward Tricker)) for $800,000 and a $150,000 non-compete.  Jerry Hinrikus, General Manager, Shawn Schleif remains as Program Director.   Tower height increased to 265 feet.

• 1984

  KEZH gets a construction permit for and upgrade to 49,600 watts at 255 feet.
  Format change to adult contemporary/oldies.  General Manager is Brian Griffey.

  July 12, 1984-  Sold to Tri-Cities (Brian Griffey, Charles Cooper) for $75,000.  ($35,000 cash, $40,000 loan).

• 1986

  January, 1986-Transfer full ownership from Fox Hanna Corporation,  half-partner Robert D. Hanna to Edward H. Tricker for assumption of liabilities.  Sale includes KICS  AM and KREX, 1260 AM, Crookston, MN.

• 1988

  KEZH upgrade to 50,000 watts at 265 feet.  Format:  Adult Contemporary.

• 1990

  September, 1990-  Fox Hanna Corporation (Timothy T. Boyd) sells to Heartland Radio, Inc (E. Eugene McCoy, Jr.) including KICS AM for $570,000.  (Other buyers include E. Eugene McCoy, Sr., William P Turney and Michael S. O’Connor.) Heartland also has an interest in KZOC FM, Osage, Kansas and KZEN, Central City, NE.   General Manager:  Ray Crocker.

• 1991

  KEZH flips format to Country.

• 1993

  June 23, 1993-  KEZH is granted a construction permit to go to 100,000 watts at 1004 feet.  Tower location is 1.3 miles northwest of Lowell, NE.

• 1997

  September 9, 1997-  Osage Radio Inc (E. Eugene McCoy, Jr) sells to Three Eagles Communications (Rolland C. Johnson, Chairman/CEO, Gary Buchanan, President/COO) as part of a package that includes KICS AM, KZEN FM, Central City and KNJP, Sargent, NE for $2.1 million.  Studios move to 311 West 11th Street, Kearney, NE.

   

   

   

• 1998

  KEZH call letters are changed to KROR and format changes from Country to Classic Rock as “Rock 101.5 FM.”

  August 6, 1998- KICS AM is spun off to KHAS Broadcasting, Hastings, NE (Wayne Specht, General Manager).

• 2000

  November 20, 2000-  Three Eagles Communications spins KROR to Eternal Broadcasting, LLC (Dick Chapin, Dean Sorenson) for $750,000.

• 2002

  KROR studios move to 3522 West Capital Avenue, Grand Island, NE, co-located with KSYZ FM.

• 2005

  Facility upgrade to 100,000 watts at 1,004 feet.  Tower location:  N40 39 28, W 98 52 04, same tower location as KRNY FM and KQKY FM, Kearney, NE.

• 2006

  January 31, 2006-  NRG Group  acquires KROR in a swap for KLIQ FM, Hastings, NE.   Dan Zabka is General Manager of KSYZ and assumes same duties for KROR.

• 2014

  Dallas Nau is General Manager.