KIRX
Encyclopedia
KIRX is a radio station
licensed to the city of Kirksville, Missouri
and serves the northeast Missouri area.
by North Missouri Broadcasting Company, a group consisting of U.S. Congressman Samuel W. Arnold
, Sam A. Burk, and Congressman Arnold's son, local businessman Sam M. Arnold. Approval from the FCC was granted on May 1, 1947 to operate KIRX on 1450kc at 250 watts power from a tower height of 150 feet. Office, studio, and tower construction had already begun in anticipation of the authorization, so KIRX was ready to begin broadcasting at noon on October 17, 1947. Until this time the Kirksville area, and indeed much of northeast Missouri, had to rely on radio stations from distant cities such as Des Moines, Iowa
, Kansas City, Missouri
, and Quincy, Illinois
for their broadcast news and entertainment. Most programming was local in origin for the first few years, with the exception of St. Louis Cardinal baseball, which began in 1948. In 1960 KIRX was granted FCC permission to increase its daytime operating power to 1,000 watts, and beginning in 1967 this was broadcast from a new 400-foot tower, increasing the broadcast coverage area. In 1984 KIRX received FCC authorization to operate at full power, 1,000 watts, 24 hours per day. Prior to then, the station was required to power down to 250 watts from sundown to sunrise daily. Also in 1960, the Arnold family divested themselves from North Missouri Broadcast Company, leaving Sam Burk and wife Vera the principal owners, with the new ownership name of Community Broadcasters, Incorporated. Following Sam Burk's death in 1982, his wife Vera continued on as station owner and general manager until 1985 when KIRX and sister station KRXL
FM (established in 1967), were sold to an investment group headed by Alvina Britz and David Nelson, dba KIRX Incorporated.
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...
licensed to the city of Kirksville, Missouri
Kirksville, Missouri
Kirksville is the county seat of Adair County, Missouri, United States. It is located in Benton Township. The population was 17,505 at the 2010 census. Kirksville also anchors a micropolitan area that comprises Adair and Schuyler counties. The city is perhaps best known as the location of Truman...
and serves the northeast Missouri area.
History
On February 1, 1947, an application for KIRX was filed with the Federal Communications CommissionFederal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
by North Missouri Broadcasting Company, a group consisting of U.S. Congressman Samuel W. Arnold
Samuel W. Arnold
Samuel Washington Arnold was a U.S. Representative from Missouri.-Early life and career:Born on September 21, 1879 on a farm near Downing in Schuyler County, Missouri, he was the son of Cumberland Wilson Arnold and Mary Elizabeth Arnold...
, Sam A. Burk, and Congressman Arnold's son, local businessman Sam M. Arnold. Approval from the FCC was granted on May 1, 1947 to operate KIRX on 1450kc at 250 watts power from a tower height of 150 feet. Office, studio, and tower construction had already begun in anticipation of the authorization, so KIRX was ready to begin broadcasting at noon on October 17, 1947. Until this time the Kirksville area, and indeed much of northeast Missouri, had to rely on radio stations from distant cities such as 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...
, Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, and Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...
for their broadcast news and entertainment. Most programming was local in origin for the first few years, with the exception of St. Louis Cardinal baseball, which began in 1948. In 1960 KIRX was granted FCC permission to increase its daytime operating power to 1,000 watts, and beginning in 1967 this was broadcast from a new 400-foot tower, increasing the broadcast coverage area. In 1984 KIRX received FCC authorization to operate at full power, 1,000 watts, 24 hours per day. Prior to then, the station was required to power down to 250 watts from sundown to sunrise daily. Also in 1960, the Arnold family divested themselves from North Missouri Broadcast Company, leaving Sam Burk and wife Vera the principal owners, with the new ownership name of Community Broadcasters, Incorporated. Following Sam Burk's death in 1982, his wife Vera continued on as station owner and general manager until 1985 when KIRX and sister station KRXL
KRXL
KRXL is the regional Rock/Classic rock radio station in the Kirksville, Missouri area. KRXL's primary audience is in the Kirksville/Ottumwa area, however their signal can reach places as far as Keokuk, Iowa, Quincy, Illinois, and Chillicothe, Missouri....
FM (established in 1967), were sold to an investment group headed by Alvina Britz and David Nelson, dba KIRX Incorporated.
Format
The early days of KIRX featured many music and interview programs broadcast live from the studios, along with local high school and college sports by remote. One early program that survives to this day is 'Party Line', a 6-day per week call-in show where community members can buy, sell, or trade items. The 'KIRX Barn Dance', broadcast live from Reiger Armory in Kirksville on Saturday nights, was also a popular show. During the 1950s and 1960s most local music programming gave way to the 'stacks of wax', 45's and LP's featuring a wide variety of singers and bands, often left to the discretion of the DJ. The decision was made in 1983 to feature an all-country music format with the slogan "Music Country KIRX". This continued until the late 1990s when the current format of News/Talk with '50s and '60s oldies was initiated. However, as it has since the beginning, local news, high school sports, and St. Louis Cardinal baseball games remain the primary focus.