KMRI is a radio station

Radio station

Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...

 broadcasting a Regional Mexican

Regional Mexican

Regional Mexican is a radio format for music radio, typically defined to include Banda, Ranchera, Mariachi and Norteña. It is the most popular radio format targeting Hispanic Americans in the United States....

 format. Licensed to West Valley City, Utah

West Valley City, Utah

West Valley City is a city in Salt Lake County and a suburb of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 129,480 at the 2010 census,...

, USA, the station serves the Salt Lake City area. The station is currently owned by Alpha and Omega Communications, LLC, who obtained it from KMRI Radio, LLC. Both organizations have common principals.

History

The station was originally built on 1570 kHz with a power of 500 Watts and the transmitter located in the 'Sugarhouse' area of Salt Lake City in the 1950s. It operated Daytime Hours only. In the 1960s, the frequency was changed to 1550 kHz, the power was increased to 10,000 watts, the transmitting tower was moved to 5265 West 2100 South in what is now West Valley City, Utah, and the call sign was later changed from KWIC to KRGO. Nighttime operation at "500 watts" was later added. The station changed call signs back to KRGO on 1986-09-19, a call which it had previously held in the 1970s. On 1988-01-01, the station changed its call sign to KZQQ. On 1992-07-31 to KRGQ. On 1997-03-10 to KRGO. On 1998-01-16 to the current KMRI.

In the 1990s, because of bankruptcy, the station was dismantled, and in 1997 was rebuilt at its current transmitter location of 6211 West 2100 South, West Valley City, Utah. In 2003-2004 the station made arrangements with the then owner of KCPW (AM) (now KIHU), Community Wireless of Park City, to share its single tower as "Tower 2" of the other stations two tower directional array.

In one of the most famous and creative forms of station identification

Station identification

Station identification is the practice of radio or television stations or networks identifying themselves on air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name...

, this station (and its one time FM sister station) once held the call sign KRPN in the 1980s, and identified itself as WKRP

WKRP in Cincinnati

WKRP in Cincinnati is an American situation comedy that featured the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working in advertising sales at Top 40 radio station WQXI in Atlanta...

N Salt Lake City (or Roy, in the case of the sister FM station). Because the KRP, N (as a homophone for "in"), and city of license were said in the proper order, it was a legal station ID despite the extra W.