KIOA
Encyclopedia
KIOA, "93.3 KIOA," is a classic hits
radio station serving the Des Moines, Iowa
, area. It is located at 93.3 on the FM dial. The station's studios are located at 1416 Locust Street in Des Moines along with Saga Communications
' other Des Moines stations (KSTZ
, KAZR, KLTI-FM
, KRNT and KPSZ
).
brought back his unique programming to the airwaves after having sold the original KWDM
in 1959 to 3M
. The station consisted of block programming of music, usually ethnic music not heard elsewhere in Des Moines
as well as a talk show by his wife and play-by-play sports. KWDM was never a top performer in the ratings, but it did have a fiercely loyal following. Unfortunately, that following was not enough to keep it afloat and the station was in constant financial trouble.
In 1968, George Webber began selling KWDM on contract to The SEQ Corporation. On April 10, 1969, the station went dark, after the owner of the tower and transmitter site shut down the station due to non-payment of rent. A month later, Mr. Webber regained control of the station, operating it at reduced hours until October 1969 when the station would go dark for good.
from the FM side. The station was programmed well and had great jocks, but was perhaps a bit ahead of its time and lasted for only about a year when it was sold to KIOA
.
After the station sold to KIOA
in 1972 the calls were changed to KIOA-FM and the became known as "Solid Gold Oldies, KIOA-FM 93.3". The station was staffed with quality jocks, but could never quite find its way to a solid listener base, mostly due to FM radio not being as popular in the 1970s.
format had not been working well, and the decision was to give Top 40 another shot on 93.3. This time the station would be known as "Magic 93" with the calls changing to KMGK. This was the most successful format to date on the frequency. The station pulled in great ratings and things were looking up for the station throughout the remainder of the 70s and early 80s.
By the mid 80s, KMGK suddenly found itself fighting for market share as KRNQ
and KLYF
started to hit on KMGK's previously untouched land of hit music on FM radio. By 1986 the station had slipped below both of its competitors and was looking for its niche once again. On March 31, 1986, after seeing KJJY
cut considerably into KSO's
share it seemed like it might be a good idea to switch to country as it had a much stronger signal than KJJY's. They promoted the change in format to "Hot Country Hits, K93FM" quite well, but misjudged the market, and after one disastrous Arbitron
book, the great country experiment ended.
On August 1, 1986, the station switched back to Top 40 as KDWZ "Z93", this time using a Rock-leaning direction (in other words, its playlist and music favored Pop-friendly Rock crossovers while avoiding anything that sounded Rhythmic or Dance
oriented). Competing head on with KRNQ
and KLYF
once again was not easy, especially due to the lost time as a country station. They gave it a good fight for four years, but in the end just couldn't make it. It was now time for a new change.
, just like the incarnation from 1972-1976. The main difference this time around was that KIOA (AM) was now also playing oldies, so 93.3 was just simulcasting its AM sister in what was now known as "ALL Oldies KIOA". In 1993 Saga Purchased KIOA from Midwest Communications of Iowa the simulcast continued, but the brand changed to "Oldies 93-3 KIOA" Over time, KIOA-FM's listener base grew and the station became one of the most successful in the Des Moines area. On November 18, 1996, an era ended as KIOA
switched to "Talk 940 KXTK" leaving the oldies to its FM counterpart. The call letters then reverted to just KIOA on the FM and the success has continued for KIOA. Today (2008) 93-3 KIOA has evolved into a classic hits
format playing "Iowa's Greatest Hits", primarily focusing on the music of the 70's and 80's.
announced that they would not be renewing the contract of longtime KIOA morning program co-host, Polly Carver-Kimm
. Carver-Kimm had served as co-host of "Maxwell and Polly in the Morning," and had also been news director for the Des Moines Radio Group's other five radio stations.
Also in late July, Dic Youngs "Youngsy" announced that he would be retiring from KIOA. He stated to a local newspaper that it was not his choice to retire. Youngs has been announcing and disc-jockeying for over 40 years at the station, often talking about old-times and the days of playing old fashioned records on air. Dic Youngs retired from KIOA on his 66th birthday on September 30, 2007. He did, however, return to the airwaves part-time on 1350 KRNT after his retirement from KIOA. Youngs remained at KRNT until his death on October 1, 2009, at age 68.
Alan White Middays,
Tim Fox Afternoons,
Kate Garner Evenings,
Jay Wells Overnights,
Jimmy Olsen Weekends,
Larry Rollins Weekends & Monday Morning 12am-5am
On July 23, 2008, KIOA announced the addition of former Des Moines morning personality Pam Dixon to the KIOA morning show with current host, Maxwell Schaeffer. Dixon says, “I feel like the stars have aligned and it was the right time for me to return to broadcasting. I’ve been a fan of KIOA my whole life and it’s MY music.”
A Des Moines native and Hoover High graduate, Dixon attended the University of Iowa and Brown Institute of Broadcasting. She was first heard on KRNT and Q-102 before beginning a 10-year run on KLYF which ended in 1996. Since then, Dixon has used her voice talent as the first female Iowa Cubs stadium announcer and has been heard on the numerous radio and TV commercials. Dixon and her daughter, Maddie, live in West Des Moines.
format on its HD2 digital subchannel branded as "Hits 99.9" (also on FM translator K260AM
99.9 FM Des Moines, Iowa).
Classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...
radio station serving the Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
, area. It is located at 93.3 on the FM dial. The station's studios are located at 1416 Locust Street in Des Moines along with Saga Communications
Saga Communications
Saga Communications is a broadcasting company that owns and operates stations in 26 markets in the United States. The company, which is based in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, primarily operates radio stations , but it also operates 9 television stations Saga Communications is a broadcasting...
' other Des Moines stations (KSTZ
KSTZ
KSTZ, known as "Star 102.5," is an FM radio station based in Des Moines, Iowa. The station plays Hot Adult Contemporary music. KSTZ is part of Saga Communications' Des Moines Radio Group, along with KPSZ, KRNT, KAZR, KIOA, and KLTI-FM.-History:...
, KAZR, KLTI-FM
KLTI-FM
KLTI-FM is an American radio station broadcasting an adult contemporary music format. Licensed to Ames, Iowa, USA, the station serves the Des Moines area...
, KRNT and KPSZ
KPSZ
KPSZ, "Praise 940", is an Christian radio station serving the Des Moines, Iowa, area. It is located at 940 on the AM dial. The station's studios are located at 1416 Locust Street in Des Moines along with Saga Communications' other Des Moines stations .-The Independent Years: 1948-1957:KIOA signed...
).
KWDM-Part 2
The 93.3 frequency got its start in 1964 when George Webber, who was the founder of the original KWDM-AMKWKY
KWKY is a radio station broadcasting a Talk/Personality format to the Des Moines, Iowa, USA area. The station is owned by Saint Gabriel Communications and features programming from Salem Communications and Westwood One.-Early years:...
brought back his unique programming to the airwaves after having sold the original KWDM
KWKY
KWKY is a radio station broadcasting a Talk/Personality format to the Des Moines, Iowa, USA area. The station is owned by Saint Gabriel Communications and features programming from Salem Communications and Westwood One.-Early years:...
in 1959 to 3M
3M
3M Company , formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation based in Maplewood, Minnesota, United States....
. The station consisted of block programming of music, usually ethnic music not heard elsewhere in Des Moines
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
as well as a talk show by his wife and play-by-play sports. KWDM was never a top performer in the ratings, but it did have a fiercely loyal following. Unfortunately, that following was not enough to keep it afloat and the station was in constant financial trouble.
In 1968, George Webber began selling KWDM on contract to The SEQ Corporation. On April 10, 1969, the station went dark, after the owner of the tower and transmitter site shut down the station due to non-payment of rent. A month later, Mr. Webber regained control of the station, operating it at reduced hours until October 1969 when the station would go dark for good.
Brought back to life
In 1971, the 93.3 frequency was brought back to life as KYNA. With its Top 40 format, it was taking on giant KIOAKPSZ
KPSZ, "Praise 940", is an Christian radio station serving the Des Moines, Iowa, area. It is located at 940 on the AM dial. The station's studios are located at 1416 Locust Street in Des Moines along with Saga Communications' other Des Moines stations .-The Independent Years: 1948-1957:KIOA signed...
from the FM side. The station was programmed well and had great jocks, but was perhaps a bit ahead of its time and lasted for only about a year when it was sold to KIOA
KPSZ
KPSZ, "Praise 940", is an Christian radio station serving the Des Moines, Iowa, area. It is located at 940 on the AM dial. The station's studios are located at 1416 Locust Street in Des Moines along with Saga Communications' other Des Moines stations .-The Independent Years: 1948-1957:KIOA signed...
.
After the station sold to KIOA
KPSZ
KPSZ, "Praise 940", is an Christian radio station serving the Des Moines, Iowa, area. It is located at 940 on the AM dial. The station's studios are located at 1416 Locust Street in Des Moines along with Saga Communications' other Des Moines stations .-The Independent Years: 1948-1957:KIOA signed...
in 1972 the calls were changed to KIOA-FM and the became known as "Solid Gold Oldies, KIOA-FM 93.3". The station was staffed with quality jocks, but could never quite find its way to a solid listener base, mostly due to FM radio not being as popular in the 1970s.
Magic, a faux paus, and attempted redemption
In 1976 the decision was made to change the station again. The oldiesOldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
format had not been working well, and the decision was to give Top 40 another shot on 93.3. This time the station would be known as "Magic 93" with the calls changing to KMGK. This was the most successful format to date on the frequency. The station pulled in great ratings and things were looking up for the station throughout the remainder of the 70s and early 80s.
By the mid 80s, KMGK suddenly found itself fighting for market share as KRNQ
KSTZ
KSTZ, known as "Star 102.5," is an FM radio station based in Des Moines, Iowa. The station plays Hot Adult Contemporary music. KSTZ is part of Saga Communications' Des Moines Radio Group, along with KPSZ, KRNT, KAZR, KIOA, and KLTI-FM.-History:...
and KLYF
KDRB
KDRB, "100.3 The Bus," is an adult hits radio station similar to Jack FM serving the Des Moines, Iowa, area in the USA. It broadcasts at 100.3 FM. The station's studios are located at 2141 Grand Avenue in Des Moines along with Clear Channel Communications' other Des Moines stations...
started to hit on KMGK's previously untouched land of hit music on FM radio. By 1986 the station had slipped below both of its competitors and was looking for its niche once again. On March 31, 1986, after seeing KJJY
KJJY
KJJY is a commercial radio station licensed to West Des Moines, Iowa, broadcasting on 92.5 FM. KJJY airs a country music format and is under ownership of Cumulus Media, who also owns the market's other country music outlet, KHKI.-History:...
cut considerably into KSO's
KXNO
KXNO is a sports radio station based in Des Moines, Iowa. It is located at 1460 on the AM band.-History:KXNO's roots can be traced back to KSO , a station that first broadcast from Clarinda, Iowa, on November 2, 1925...
share it seemed like it might be a good idea to switch to country as it had a much stronger signal than KJJY's. They promoted the change in format to "Hot Country Hits, K93FM" quite well, but misjudged the market, and after one disastrous Arbitron
Arbitron
Arbitron is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio audiences. It was founded as American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by merging with L.A. based Coffin, Cooper and Clay in the early 1950s...
book, the great country experiment ended.
On August 1, 1986, the station switched back to Top 40 as KDWZ "Z93", this time using a Rock-leaning direction (in other words, its playlist and music favored Pop-friendly Rock crossovers while avoiding anything that sounded Rhythmic or Dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
oriented). Competing head on with KRNQ
KSTZ
KSTZ, known as "Star 102.5," is an FM radio station based in Des Moines, Iowa. The station plays Hot Adult Contemporary music. KSTZ is part of Saga Communications' Des Moines Radio Group, along with KPSZ, KRNT, KAZR, KIOA, and KLTI-FM.-History:...
and KLYF
KDRB
KDRB, "100.3 The Bus," is an adult hits radio station similar to Jack FM serving the Des Moines, Iowa, area in the USA. It broadcasts at 100.3 FM. The station's studios are located at 2141 Grand Avenue in Des Moines along with Clear Channel Communications' other Des Moines stations...
once again was not easy, especially due to the lost time as a country station. They gave it a good fight for four years, but in the end just couldn't make it. It was now time for a new change.
Oldies return
On October 1st, 1990, the decision was made to give up on the Top 40 programming of "Z93". The station once again was named KIOA-FM and the format was oldiesOldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
, just like the incarnation from 1972-1976. The main difference this time around was that KIOA (AM) was now also playing oldies, so 93.3 was just simulcasting its AM sister in what was now known as "ALL Oldies KIOA". In 1993 Saga Purchased KIOA from Midwest Communications of Iowa the simulcast continued, but the brand changed to "Oldies 93-3 KIOA" Over time, KIOA-FM's listener base grew and the station became one of the most successful in the Des Moines area. On November 18, 1996, an era ended as KIOA
KPSZ
KPSZ, "Praise 940", is an Christian radio station serving the Des Moines, Iowa, area. It is located at 940 on the AM dial. The station's studios are located at 1416 Locust Street in Des Moines along with Saga Communications' other Des Moines stations .-The Independent Years: 1948-1957:KIOA signed...
switched to "Talk 940 KXTK" leaving the oldies to its FM counterpart. The call letters then reverted to just KIOA on the FM and the success has continued for KIOA. Today (2008) 93-3 KIOA has evolved into a classic hits
Classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...
format playing "Iowa's Greatest Hits", primarily focusing on the music of the 70's and 80's.
Personality Changes
On July 31, 2007, Saga CommunicationsSaga Communications
Saga Communications is a broadcasting company that owns and operates stations in 26 markets in the United States. The company, which is based in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, primarily operates radio stations , but it also operates 9 television stations Saga Communications is a broadcasting...
announced that they would not be renewing the contract of longtime KIOA morning program co-host, Polly Carver-Kimm
Polly Carver-Kimm
Polly Carver-Kimm is a television personality in the Des Moines, Iowa area.She was a DJ on KIOA for approximately 20 years, through July 2007. She subsequently was hired to do communications for the Iowa Department of Public Health....
. Carver-Kimm had served as co-host of "Maxwell and Polly in the Morning," and had also been news director for the Des Moines Radio Group's other five radio stations.
Also in late July, Dic Youngs "Youngsy" announced that he would be retiring from KIOA. He stated to a local newspaper that it was not his choice to retire. Youngs has been announcing and disc-jockeying for over 40 years at the station, often talking about old-times and the days of playing old fashioned records on air. Dic Youngs retired from KIOA on his 66th birthday on September 30, 2007. He did, however, return to the airwaves part-time on 1350 KRNT after his retirement from KIOA. Youngs remained at KRNT until his death on October 1, 2009, at age 68.
Personalities
- Maxwell & Pam in the Morning - weekdays 5:00 AM-10:00 AM
- Alan White - weekdays 10:00 AM-2:00 PM, Saturdays Noon-5:00 PM
- Tim Fox - weekdays 2:00 PM-7:00 PM
- Jay Wells
- Kate Garner
KIOA's Current Line Up
Maxwell & Pam in the Morning,Alan White Middays,
Tim Fox Afternoons,
Kate Garner Evenings,
Jay Wells Overnights,
Jimmy Olsen Weekends,
Larry Rollins Weekends & Monday Morning 12am-5am
On July 23, 2008, KIOA announced the addition of former Des Moines morning personality Pam Dixon to the KIOA morning show with current host, Maxwell Schaeffer. Dixon says, “I feel like the stars have aligned and it was the right time for me to return to broadcasting. I’ve been a fan of KIOA my whole life and it’s MY music.”
A Des Moines native and Hoover High graduate, Dixon attended the University of Iowa and Brown Institute of Broadcasting. She was first heard on KRNT and Q-102 before beginning a 10-year run on KLYF which ended in 1996. Since then, Dixon has used her voice talent as the first female Iowa Cubs stadium announcer and has been heard on the numerous radio and TV commercials. Dixon and her daughter, Maddie, live in West Des Moines.
KIOA-HD2
KIOA is now broadcasting a rhythmic CHRRhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
format on its HD2 digital subchannel branded as "Hits 99.9" (also on FM translator K260AM
K260AM
K260AM is a Rhythmic Contemporary radio station serving the Des Moines, Iowa area. It is located at 99.9 on the FM dial and on HD Radio subchannel KIOA 93.3-HD2...
99.9 FM Des Moines, Iowa).
External links
- KIOA History. Accessed June 23, 2006
- Oldies 93.3 website
- KMGK Promos
- KKXI and KYNA Jingles
- KYNA Composite Aircheck 1971
- KDWZ Aircheck 1989