91.1 FM, Lincoln

Through the Years

• 1967

  June, 1967- KUCV call letters are requested.

• 1968

  January 1, 1968- KUCV 91.1 FM signs on with 10 watts.  Owner:  Union College, 3800 South 84th Street in Lincoln, NE.  Format:  Religious/Classical music.  Union College is affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist church.  Dr. R.W. Fowler, President; Arthur Houck, Station Manager.

• 1978

  June, 1978-  KUCV seeks 90.9 FM.

  August, 1978- Petition to deny is filed by Chronicle Broadcasting (WOWT) fearing the new frequency would interfere with its audio channel of 87.9 Mhz.

• 1979

  June, 1979- Petition is denied, application granted.  (Denial was based on local KOLN TV Lincoln already duplicating network programming that airs on WOWT, Omaha.  Some complaints of interference did indeed result.  KUCV installed filters on television sets of those who complained.)  Format is adjusted to Fine Arts Programming.  KUCV raises antenna height with new installation atop the school’s administration building.

  $142,000 expansion campaign finances KUCV to move to 90.9 and to increase power to 18,200 watts at 180 feet.  (Union College seeks 90.5 in Shelton, NE for 100,000 watts at 925 feet.)

• 1980

  Eric Graham is General Manager.

• 1983

  January, 1983- KUCV adds NPR to ABC Information Network, continues with a Classical music format.

  (April, 1983- Union College seeks 1180 kHz, 5,000 watts day, 1,000 watts night for non-commercial operation.)

  Nebraska Broadcasters Association delays the creation of a statewide National Public Radio network in Nebraska for at least a year, objecting to Union College’s plan to use federal money to build a network that may include a large portion of religious broadcasting.  Union College was seeking $475,000 for 75% of setting up remote transmitters in Scottsbluff, North Platte, Norfolk, and Kearney.  (February, 1983- Union College files for 88.9 FM in Norfolk, 100,000 watts at 403 feet.)

• 1984

  Greg Hodgson, General Manager

  (November, 1984- Dismissed application Union College for 89.7 FM Kearney at 100,000 watts at 996 feet.)

• 1986

  Cary DeCamp is General Manager.

• 1988

  KUCV seeks 16,000 watts at 740 feet at a new site 1.2 miles southeast of Hallam, the tower belonging to KTGL FM, Beatrice-Lincoln.   Granted in April 1989.

  KUCV is acquired by Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET).  KUCV 90.9 is transferred by Union College to the Commission in June, becoming Nebraska’s first state-run station, the result of the Nebraska Legislature approving funding for a statewide radio network.  KUCV will be the flagship station.  Jack McBride heads NET from 1963-1996.  Lisa Wick is General Manager of the station, Ken Wick is the underwriting director.

• 1989

  August, 1989-  KUCV goes to 600 feet on the KTGL tower with 16,000 watts of power, reduced from 18,000 watts to compensate for the additional height, to bring it in line with authorized coverage.

  October 10, 1989-  KUCV relaunches from new studios, moving from Union College campus to the Terry M. Carpenter Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Center.

• 1992

  Steve Robinson is General Manager.

• 1996

  Jack McBride retires, Rod Bates becomes the new CEO over NET.   McBride is later inducted into the Nebraska Broadcasters Association’s Hall of Fame in 1997.

• 2001

  August, 2001- KUCV increases NPR programming and expands to 24-hour operation.  KUCV

  November, 2001-  KUCV is moved from 90.9 to 91.1 FM.  The 90.0 signal had suffered adjacent-channel interference from KVNO 90.7 in the Omaha area.  The frequency shift and power upgrade intensified the signal in Lincoln and allowed the Nebraska Public Radio Network flagship to be heard on better radios in Omaha where the network had no outlet. The power increase is to 100,000 watts at 690 feet.  A directional antenna was installed to alleviate interference to WOWT Omaha’s channel 6 audio on 87.9 Mhz.  KUCV was dark for three days during the upgrade installation.  The $280,000 project was funded thought state aid and private donations.

• 2002

  Arbitron ratings show a 58% increase in listeners since the power upgrade.

  Ray Dilley is General Manager.

• 2006

  KUCV adds HD channel to its signal, then added a second HD channel in 2008.  Formats:  News and Jazz.

• 2013

  June 30, 2013-  Rod Bates retires from NET.  David Feingold assumes temporary General Manager.  Bates is inducted into the Nebraska Broadcasters Association’s Hall of Fame in 2014.

  August 1, 2013-  Mark Leonard, previously with Illinois Public Television is named General Manager of NET.

• 2021

  May 15, 2021-  Nebraska’s statewide PBS and NPR networks are rebranded as Nebraska Public Media, dropping their longtime NET branding.  The radio network serves areas outside of Omaha with a traditional public radio format of NPR news magazines, Classical music, and weekend entertainment programs, plus an HD2 network offering additional news programming and Jazz.