KNEN 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 Classic rock

Classic rock

Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...

 format. Licensed to Norfolk, Nebraska

Norfolk, Nebraska

Norfolk is a city in Madison County, Nebraska, United States, 113 miles northwest of Omaha and 83 miles west of Sioux City at the intersection of U.S. Routes 81 and 275. The population was 24,210 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Nebraska. It is the principal city of the...

, USA, the station is currently owned by Red Beacon Communications, LLC.

History

KNEN was founded by Gene Koehn in 1979 as a Top 40 radio station. Koehn was a native of Norfolk, Nebraska, and started his radio career with Norfolk's WJAG

WJAG

WJAG is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Norfolk, Nebraska, USA. The station has been owned by WJAG, Inc. since 1922 and is managed by Bradley S. Hughes.-Programming:...

radio. He left WJAG, and Norfolk, over a wage dispute. Koehn was a top salesman with the station, and was successful enough that he was earning nearly as much money as the station manager. The station manager took umbrage with this, and called Koehn in to advise him that there would be changes in how he was paid. Koehn did not take this news well, and left the station. He vowed he would return and start a new station in town, and did just that.