95.1 FM, Waverly (Lincoln)

Through the Years

• 1975

  February 6, 1975-  KBHL signs on.  Larry King is President/General Manager.

• 1979

  Transfer of control of Sound Experience Broadcasting Co. from all stockholders (Lawrence W. King, Linda Lue King, wife, Larry J. Brandt, Richard A. Deaton, Robert C. Kellogg) 100% before; none after) Consideration:  $88,177 (estimated) to Dallas, TX businessmen W. David Holliday (7.25%), Glenn Cox (32.75%), Antonio D. Mantzuranis (7.25%), David Benware (20%), and Marion L. McBryde (32.75%).

• 1981

  Format change to Country.  Adds MBS network and 2 hours weekly Farm News.

• 1983

  Sold by Sound Experience Broadcasting Co. to Radio Groups Inc. for $500,000.  Seller is a group of seven shareholders, including David Benware, Glenn Cox and Marion L. McBryde, who are managing directors.  Buyers are Sam (Sherwood) Sabean and son, Tim (Kelly) Sabean.  Sam (Sherwood) Sabean is Vice-President and General Manager of Metromedia’s KHOW, Denver, CO.

  July, 1983-  Call letters change from KBHL to KXSS.

• 1984

  Format flips to Adult Contemporary.

• 1985

  May, 1985-Radio Group Inc. (David Benware) sells to Sequel Communications (Celltech Communications, headed by Steven E. Reichert, and U. S. Cellular Telephone Co. Inc., publicly held, Denver, CO-based firm, also headed by Reichert) for $665,000, comprising $120,000 cash, assumption of note of $358,000, $100,000 note, and $86,700 noncompete agreement.   Studios/offices moved to 339 North Cotner Blvd., Suite 4 in Lincoln.

  June, 1985-  Call letters changed to KJUS.  Format flips to Top 40.

• 1987

  February, 1987-  Sequel Corporation (Steven Reichert and Stephen Clod Felter) sells to Tandem Communications (Harley M. Lampman and L. Lee Thomas, a partnership) for $100,000 plus assumption of liabilities.

  March, 1987- Call letters are changed to KLDZ.  Format:  Oldies, Transtar network.
  Ron Kempff, President; Harley Lampman, General Manager; Lee Thomas, VP & Operations Manager.

• 1988

  Upgrade and frequency change:  to 95.1 MHz with 50,000 watts at 287 feet at a new tower site 12 miles north of downtown Lincoln on North 14th Street near Davey Road.

  November, 1988-  KLDZ, Lincoln, NE is sold by Tandem Communications Corporation to Ronald L. Kempff for $2.4 million.  Seller is owned by Harley Lampman, Ray Farrington, Lee Thomas and Tom Barler, who have no other broadcast interests.  Buyer also owns WKKI FM, Celina, Ohio.

• 1991

  September, 1991- KLDZ Lincoln is sold by Kempff Communications Co (Ron Kempff) to Radio Lincoln Inc. (headed by Sue Ellen Bereman) for $1.134 million.

• 1992

  May, 1992-KLDZ license assignment granted from Kempff Communications Inc. (headed by William Rice, receiver) to Radio One Lincoln Inc. (headed by Raymond A. Lamb) for $765,000.  Studios/offices move to 230 O Street in Lincoln.

• 1995

  Format flip to 70’s Hits.  Roger Dodson, President, Wayne Walker, General Manager.

• 1996

  Radio One Lincoln Inc. (Ray Lamb, President/Owner) sells to Three Eagles Communications, Monument, CO. (Rolland C. Johnson, CEO; Gary Buchanan President/COO) as part of a package that includes ten other Radio One Am and FM stations including KMEM Lincoln and KTTT and KKOT, Columbus, NE, plus an Illinois station owned by TKO Broadcasting LLC (Scott Krusinski, President) for $10.2 million.  Studios/offices moved to 6900 Van Dorn Street, Suite 311 in Lincoln.  Format flip to Adult Rock.  Gary M. Buchanan, President & General Manger.  KLDZ changes call letters to KNET.

• 1998

  Format adjustment to Classic Rock and changes call letters from KNET to KRKR.

• 2002

  Studios/offices moved to 3800 Cornhusker Hwy in Lincoln.

• 2005

  KRKR is transferred to Chapin Communications LLC (Richard Chapin) for purposes of being sold.  Owner Three Eagles seeks to buy Clear Channel’s group in Lincoln, but must sell two FM stations to fall below ownership caps.  KRKR is one of them, transferred to Chapin which will act as a qualified intermediary seeking a buyer.
  (Three Eagles already owns, KFOR 1240, KLMS 1480, KRKR 95.1 and KFRX 102.7, all licensed to Lincoln.  The Clear Channel stations are KTGL 92.9 Beatrice, KZKX 96.9 Seward, KIBZ 104.1 Crete, and KLMY 106.3 Lincoln).

• 2007

  September, 2007-Chapin is granted a construction permit to move KRKR into the Omaha market, changing its community of license to Valley, NE, and move to 04.9 FM with 6,000 watts.  This would deliver a rimshot signal from a tower on Omaha’s far west side.
  (The plan is part of an agreement with KCSI 95.3 FM (Hawkeye Communications) in Red Oak, Iowa, allowing it to move into the Omaha market by changing its community of license to Treynor, Iowa with a tower east of Council Bluffs delivering a rimshot signal with 61,000 watts at 328 feet).

  September, 2007-  KRKR ends its nine-year run as “95 Rock” Classic Hits by telling listeners to tune to 92.9 “The Eagle.”  The station then begins promoting the pending launch of “95 Talk FM.”  Its construction permit for the move to Valley remains valid.

• 2008

  August 18, 2008- KRKR’s short-lived Talk format ends as it begins simulcasting the “Breeze” Adult Contemporary format of sister station KBZR 102.7 FM.

• 2009

  KRKR applies to remain licensed to Lincoln but to downgrade from a Class C2 license to Class A.   This means reducing power from its 50,000 wats at 286 feet to 6,000 watts at 194 feet.

  May 21, 2009-  The station goes silent reportedly for financial reasons.
  A new application to remain on  95.1 FM now calls for moving its transmitter to a site 12 miles north of Lincoln along North 14th Street using 50,000 watts at 276 feet with the community of license changing to Waverly, NE.

  July, 2009-  KRKR 95.1 FM is sold, going non-commercial as Christian broadcaster Mission Nebraska buys the station from Chapin Enterprises for $1 million.  The sale includes the license and transmitter but no studio equipment.  The station plans to return to the air carrying programming from Mission Nebraska by August 3rd under a time brokerage agreement until the sale is closed in late August.  Mission Nebraska’s “My Bridge Radio” originates at KROA 95.7 FM in Grand Island and is heard on a translator at 94.5 FM in Lincoln.   Mission Nebraska agreed to a non-compete agreement that prohibits KRKR from operating as as commercial station for five years.   Also, the sale was contingent on the application for KRKR’s move to a new transmitter site with the community of license changed to Waverly, NE being approved.

• 2012

  NRG Media (Mary Quass, President) buys FM translator K233AN 94.5 Lincoln from Mission Nebraska for use in relaying KLIN 1400’s News/Talk format.  Plans are to move the 99 watt translator from a tower southeast to the US Bank building in downtown Lincoln with 250 watts.

  Present day:  KRKR-FM also broadcasts its primary channel from these 2 transmitters:  K224DJ 92.7 FM, La Vista, NE (92 watts), K257GW 99.3 FM, Springfield, NE (250 watts).