1400 AM, Ainsworth

Through the Years

• 1966

  O’Neill broadcasters Larry Rice, Gil Poese and Carlee Mathis began the application process to the Federal Communications Commission to develop a radio station in Ainsworth, Nebraska.

  KBR Broadcasting Company was formed ant eh FCCC approved the full time KBRB AM radio station at 1400 kc.

• 1967

  August 24, 1967- KBR Broadcasting Company is granted a license for 1400 kc, 250 watts, 1 kw-LS.  Principals are:  Lorris C. Rice (50%), Gilbert L. Poese (30%, and Carlee Mathis (20%).  Mr. Rice is 10% owner of KBRX, O’Neill, NE.  Mr. Poese is 80% owner of KBRX, while Mr. Mathis is Chief Engineer with same station, but no financial interest.   Tower and transmitter is located about a mile east of Ainsworth.  A downtown business building at 122 E. Second Street in Ainsworth was remodeled for the studio and offices.

• 1968

  February 6, 1968-  KBRB goes on the air at 6 a.m.   The original staff of Larry Rice, Jug Brown and Ken Heuer took turns on the air each day broadcasting music and news from 6.am-10 p.m.  Chief Engineer duties were handled by Wes Jones.

  Someone was needed to do the paperwork,, daily programming logs and front office duties, and that position was filled by Renee Burger.  To help share the evening and weekend on-air shifts, the station started their first crew of part-time student workers from Ainsworth High School…Bill Ganser, Gary Pischel and Jerry Schumacher.

• 1972

  May 18, 1972- KBRB is granted an increase in tower height to 240 feet.

• 1982

  March 18, 1982-  KBR Broadcasting seeks 92.7 mhz at 2,510 watts at 327 feet.  Principals are Lorris C. Rice (50%), Gilbert L. Poese (30%) and Carlee P. Mathis (20%).   They own KBRB AM and KSDZ FM, Gordon, Nebraska.  Rice and Poese are principal owners of KBRX AM/FM in O’Neil, Nebraska.

• 1983

  May 30, 1983-  KBRB FM goes on air with 26,000 watts at 327 feet.

• 1993

  Larry Rice is inducted into the Nebraska Broadcasters Association’s Hall of Fame.

• 2000

  September, 2000-  KBRB AM begins 24 hours a day broadcast service.

• 2009

  July, 2009- Larry Rice and his remaining partners in KBR Broadcasting Co. sells KBRB AM & FM to former employee Graig Kinzie of Sandhills Broadcasting, LLC.  Kinzie worked for KBRB beginning in 1996 while attending Ainsworth High School and was one of the numerous KBRB high school employees who went on to a career in journalism.  After attending college and then working in newspaper journalism for seven years, Kinzie returned to Ainsworth to purchase the stations.

• 2014

  October, 2014-  A fire at the Royal Theater next door to the KBRB studios at 122 E. Second Street damaged the station.

• 2016

  January, 2016-  KBRB completed the construction of a new studio at 356 S. Main Street.

• 2018

  March 14, 2018- KBRB signs on Translator K292HE, bringing the 1400 AM programming to the FM band at 106.3.