102.3 FM, Kearney

Through the Years

• 1986

  June 19, 1986-Construction permit.  Call signs allocated:  KZBC.

• 1987

  February 12, 1987-  Call sign changed to KRNY.  Call sign meaning:  KeaRNeY.

  (KRNY calls were being used by separately-owned station at 98.9 FM.  That station relinquished these call letters and changed to KKPR.  Subsequently, the owners of the construction permit changed their call letters to KRNY).

• 1990

  KRNY 102.3 FM goes on the air.  Studios/offices located at 1220 E. 26th Street in Kearney, NE.  Polly A. Hays is the owner (Nebraska Media Concepts), Ruby Hays is the General Manager.   Transmitter:  3,000 watts at 328 feet.

  August 16, 1990.  Station files an application for a construction permit to change from a Class A FM to a Class C3 and increase in power from 3,000 watts to 25,000 watts.

• 1991

  May, 1991-  Transfer of control within Nebraska Media Concepts.  Polly A. Hays transfers control to H. Dale Sostad.

  June, 1991-  Transfer is granted.

  November, 1991-  Application for modification of the construction permit to change ERP to 25,000 watts is granted.  Transmitter location:  1.3 miles northwest of Lowell, NE.  Studios/offices move to 2222 2nd Avenue in Kearney.

• 1994

  Studio/Office address: 2202 Central Avenue in Kearney.  Licensee:  Nebraska Media Concepts, Jean Esposito is General Manager.

• 1995

  Format adjustment to “Hot Country”.   Stan Tafoya is new General Manager.

• 1998

  April 22, 1998-  Nebraska Media Concepts sells KRNY 102.3 FM to Central Nebraska Broadcasting Company, Inc.  (John Mitchell), who also owns KGFW 1340 AM and KQKY 105.9 FM in Kearney.  KRNY studio is relocated into the Central Nebraska Broadcasting studios/offices at 2223 Central Avenue. Purchase price:  $650,000.   John McDonald takes over as General Manager.

• 2002

  January 7, 2002-  KRNY is sold to Waitt Radio as a part of Mitchell Broadcasting’s 16 station package for $36.6 million.  John McDonald remains as General Manager for the Kearney cluster of stations.

• 2003

  KRNY moves on to a new tower also with KQKY on a new tower 2 miles northwest of Heartwell, NE.   Increase in power to 77,100 watts at 1,086 feet.

• 2005

  Waitt Radio merges with New Radio Group to form NRG Media.

• 2009

  June, 2009-  Long time General Manager John McDonald passes away.   Replaced by former Sales Manager, Sharon White.

• 2010

  New General Manager is Tim Marshall, as Sharon White departs for NTV television.

• 2014

  Tim Marshall departs for Nebraska Rural Radio Network.  Is replaced by NRG Grand Island General Manager Dallas Nau, who continues as the Regional General Manager over all the Grand Island and Kearney NRG stations.   KRNY continues with the slogan, “Nebraska’s Hot Country, Y-012”.