1460 AM, Kearney

Through the Years

• 1956

  December 5, 1956-   KRNY AM signs on.  Studio location: 2219 Second Avenue, Kearney, NE.  Transmitter- 2.5 miles west on Railroad Street.

• 1958

  November, 1958-Sought 910 AM, 5,000 watts day/1,000 watts night, unlimited operation.
  Application was dismissed February, 1959.

• 1961

  Station was placed in receivership in order to dissolve the interest of the investors.

  July, 1961-  KRNY is sold to Bi-States Company for $62,500.  The buyer also owns, KHOL FM and KHOL TV in Kearney, KHPL TV, Hayes Center.

  Additional note:  Bi-States is the original owner of KHOL FM.  It signed on in June, 1959, licensed to Kearney but with an address in Holdrege at 414 East Avenue.    KHOL 98.9 FM is 57,000 watts at 440 feet.    KHOL FM programming duplicates that of KRNY 1460 AM.

  Address noted as 2101 1/2 Second Avenue in Kearney.   Stations join MBS.

• 1962

  KRNY AM studios move in with KHOL FM and TV, Highway 44, 2.5 miles East of Axtell.
  April, 1962-  KHOL FM call letters are changed to KRNY FM.

• 1964

  Bi-States Company (Wayne Brewster, majority owner) sells to Radio Kearney, Inc. (Robert Whitehall, John Payne, J.R. Clodfelter and A.E. Payne) for $60,000.  The sale does not include KRNY FM.

  December, 1964- Robert Whitehall is the station manager of KRNY.   KRNY station returns to 2201 2nd Avenue.

• 1967

  November, 1967- Transfer of control within the company, from J.R. Clodfelter and Alan Oldfather to A.E. Payne and John Payne for $40,000.

  Pre-sunrise operation is authorized at 500 watts.

• 1969

  September, 1969-  KRNY is sold by Radio Kearney, Inc (John Payne, President) to Semeco Broadcasting  (W. O. Corrick and Charles Barber) for $185,000, including KRNY FM.  Buyer also owns KICX, McCook where Corrick is the General Manager.

  Format- Middle of the Road.  FM duplicates the AM 50%.  Studios/offices move to 403 East 25th Street some time during the Semeco ownership.

• 1972

  KRNY joins ABC Contemporary network and changes format to Top 40.

• 1975

  KRNY FM duplicates KRNY AM programming 80%.  Goes to 100% in 1976.

• 1986

  July, 1986-  Semeco Broadcasting sells to Radio Ingstad Nebraska (Robert E. Ingstad) for $475,000, including KRNY FM.

  November, 1986-  KRNY 1460 AM call letters are changed to KKOA.

   

• 1988

  KKOA nighttime operation is authorized with 56 watts.  KKPR FM separates programming from KKOA AM and goes with a CHR format.

• 1990

  KKOA 1460 call letters are changed to KKPR-AM.

  Craig Eckert becomes General Manager of Ingstad of Nebraska from March, 1991-December 31, 1991.

• 1992

  November, 1992-Radio Ingstad Nebraska (Robert E. Ingstad) sells to Koehn Radio, Inc (Gene A. Koehn) for $600,000, including the FM.  The studios/offices move to 403 East 25th Street in Kearny around this time.  Craig Eckert remains as General Manager from 1992-1993.

  Formats under Koehn’s ownership remained Oldies for KKPR and Adult Standards for KKPR-AM.

• 1993

  November, 1993-Koehn Radio Inc. (Gene A. Koehn) sells to Platte River Radio (David H. Oldfather) for $750,000, including the FM.   Koehn also owns KNEN FM, Norfolk, NE.
  Eckert remains as General Manger with Platte River Radio.

• 2003

  November, 2003-  KKPR AM call letters are changed to KXPN.  Format flips to Sports with most of ESPN’s programming lineup.

• 2005

  Platte River Radio acquires KHAS AM and KICS AM, Hastings from Wayne Specht for $650,000.  At the same time, KLIQ FM was purchased from John Mitchell for $750,000.

• 2018

  FM translator K221GM 92.1 signs on, 250 watts.

• 2021

  Platte River Broadcasting sells KXPN/KKPR to Flood Communications (Mike Flood)in an arrangement that includes a merger involving cash and assets. The net result is the new entity “Flood Communications Tri-Cities” which now owns KKPR, KHAS, KICS and their associated translators as well as KMLF-LC.    KLIQ FM is sold to Flood Omaha for just under $540,000 in a separate transaction.  The ownership percentages are Flood West 30%, Flood Beatrice 25%, and 45% by Platte River Radio, whose investors remain the same.