Sunday, April 5, 2009

Mystery sticker #7 SOLVED!


The handwritten call letters on the back of this sticker pretty clearly says KEAM but Google hasn't been much help in trying to find out where this station was from. I looked through most of these for a KEAM at 1510 but found none. Any ideas?

UPDATE:  KEAM is from Port Arthur, Texas circa 1981.  Thanks Anonymous!

Sunday Sticker - KCIS

Circa 1986.

Circa 2005.

Current logo.

KCIS is a Religious Teaching station licensed to Edmonds, Washington and serves the Seattle area. After much prayerful consideration, one day they decided to stop informing you and start inspiring you but now they do neither.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

NCAA Final Four - North Carolina vs Villanova

WXYC is the University of North Carolina's student-run station. They carry a Variety format covering almost every type of music ranging from Electronic to Classical and Calypso to Doo Wop. WXYC is credited with the first ever internet broadcast back in 1994. Los Angeles radio mainstay and Top 40 Countdown host Rick Dees and ESPN's Stuart Scott are both alumni. WXYC is licensed to Chapel Hill, North Carolina.



Villanova University has a college radio station -WXVU- but I don't have a sticker from them. As much as I'd like to simply grab an image of their logo from Google and slap it in here, the rule is that I must use an actual decal from my collection.* Therefore I'm gonna use KGRA to represent Villanova who are going to lose in historic fashion to the mighty Tarheels and help me win lots of money. (Oh please please please please please please please please please please let this happen.)
Nova 104 was an Album Oriented Rock station from Lake Charles, Louisiana. They are now KBIU, a JACK FM Adult Hits outlet.

*I already violated this dumb, self-imposed rule here. Don't tell anyone.

Friday, April 3, 2009

NCAA Final Four - Michigan State vs Connecticut

This is the first time in years ever that I've still had a chance of winning the office basketball pool this late in the tournament. I'm sitting in first place out of 40 entries and cannot be beat if North Carolina wins it all. I can't stop thinking about what I'd do with that nice windfall ($!$!$!$) if the Tarheels can pull it off. Lots of other scenarios can still take place which would knock me out of the money but I think Carolina would have to be considered the favorite of the four teams left.

WDBM is a student-run station from Michigan State University in East Lansing. They’re mostly Alternative/College Rock during the day and block programming at night including Jazz, Blues, Metal and Alternative Country. Impact 89 celebrated their 20th anniversary in February of this year.

WHUS is the radio station for the University of Connecticut. Their history dates back to 1922 making it one of the oldest radio stations in the state. The staffers are a combination of UConn students as well as community volunteers. WHUS has a Variety format featuring music from almost every genre.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

KTST

It's tornado season once again in the United States. Last week we had our annual tornado drill in the creepy basement of the building where I work. I was half expecting a voice to tell me to put the lotion in the basket while I was down there.
Tomorrow is the 35th anniversary of a series of tornadoes known as the Super Outbreak which consisted of 148 twisters across 13 states. The worst hit was nearby Xenia, Ohio where two tornadoes merged into one super-tornado killing 32 people and injuring 1,150. Roughly half of the town was damaged or destroyed to the tune $100 million dollars.I'm not sure why anyone would name their radio station after a natural disaster that kills about 100 people per year on average (not to mention all the injuries and property damage.) Besides, aren't you tempting fate by cavalierly naming yourselves "Twister" when you're located in the heart of Tornado Alley? Don't be surprised when their tower gets ironically knocked down by a real version of the station logo. I guess it makes it OK if you give the tornado googly cartoon eyes and a cowboy hat.
No one could be so stupid as to name their entity after a deadly natural disaster. Oh, hold on a minute. Wait, this too? Aw, you have got to be kidding me. OK, never mind. What's next..."94.5 The Flood" from Fargo, North Dakota? "Southern India's Hottest Hits 106.9 The Typhoon?"
KTST is a Country music station licensed to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

KRUD

KRUD is a Contemporary Hit station from {insert any American city here.}  They believe that bombarding you with the same dozen songs on an endless loop will somehow make you listen longer.  KRUD does well in the ratings because dumb people with Arbitron diaries love repetition.  The DJs are skilled, high-energy personalities who care about the community they live in are voice-tracked from hundreds of miles away.  

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

WOSN

WOSN is an Adult Standards/Nostalgia station licensed to Indian River Shores, Florida.

Monday, March 30, 2009

KDBM

KDBM is an AM Country music station licensed to Dillon, Montana. The FM half of this duopoly now has the call letters KBEV and runs an Adult Contemporary format.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

More States on Stickers

I like maps. Always have. My teenage bedroom wall wasn't filled with rock band posters or sports pennants but instead with maps from National Geographic magazine and a hammer & sickle flag from the Soviet Union. I guess I was a cartograpic nerd. Later I spent two years as a Geography major in college but bailed out when things got too academically challenging. I just couldn't muster any interest in the Origins and Concentration of Dairy Farms in Wisconsin or studies on the Social and Environmental Effects of Deforestation on Hispaniola. I was having too much fun at the college radio station so I switched my major to Mass Communications and finally graduated four years later. These stickers and others like them combine two of my favorite things: Radio and Maps.
BTW, for a great map blog, go here.
KVBR is a Talk/Business News station licensed to Brainerd, Minnesota.

KBON is a Cajun/Zydeco/Americana station licensed to Mamou, Louisiana.

SOS Radio / KCIR

KCIR is a Contemporary Christian/Religious Teaching station licensed to Twin Falls, Idaho. It is one of almost 40 stations and translators in the SOS Radio Network.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Dart on Map - WSPA

Today's dart landed just east of Landrum, South Carolina. In fact, it landed very close to Hogback Mountain which is where the transmitter tower for "Magic 98.9" WSPA (WSPArtanburg) is located. WSPA is a Light Rock/Adult Contemporary station licensed to Spartanburg. It was the first FM station in the state of South Carolina, having gone on the air in 1946, and in 1960 it became the first in the state to broadcast in (((stereo))).

WNAW

AM 1230 WNAW (W North Adams Williamstown) is a Country station licensed to North Adams, Massachusetts.  They've been on the air since November 1947.

Friday, March 27, 2009

National Joe Day - CKNG

Today is another useless novelty "holiday" where everyone can feel free to call themselves and others "Joe." I'm now firmly convinced that this place is simply making crap up in order to get content for their website.
CKNG "Joe FM" was a Classic Hits station from Edmonton, Alberta.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

RKOR

RKOR was (is?) a Contemporary music station located in Granollers, Spain. They have no official website and I'm pretty sure they are no longer in operation. I did find a YouTube clip with a few RKOR jingles though. The guitar on the sticker is in the shape of Catalonia which is an autonomous region within Spain where Granollers (as well as Barcelona) is located. The red and yellow stripes resemble the Catalonian flag.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

KAJZ


KAJZ was a Snooze Smooth Jazz station licensed to Killeen, Texas from 1996 to 1998. They then switched to Country as "Lonestar 93" even though there were already four other stations with that format in the Austin market. Currently, this frequency hosts KDHT "Hot 93.3" a Rhythmic-CHR outlet whose COL moved to Cedar Park, Texas.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Two TUEs for Tuesday

A Spanish Contemporary Christian station from Tulia, Texas (although it's unlikely that was the format when this minimalist, 1970s-era sticker was issued.) Still licensed but currently off the air.

WTUE is a Classic Rock station from Dayton, Ohio. They got their call letters to complement sister station WONE (1 and 2...isn't that clever!? Apparently WTWO wasn't available.) Former ESPN personality Dan Patrick got his broadcasting career started here as a DJ back in 1979. WTUE has been a Rock station since 1976 after switching from Top 40.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Thunder & Lightning

WDNB "Thunder 102" is a Country music station licensed to Jeffersonville, New York.


WRLT (W RadioLighTning) is an Adult Album Alternative station serving Nashville, Tennessee and licensed to Franklin, TN.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

KTTT

A vintage sticker from News/Talk KTTT 1510 AM in Columbus, Nebraska.

Sunday Sticker - KCHP

K-Chapel is a 93-watt, low-power FM, Contemporary Christian/Religious Teaching station. KCHP is licensed to Arcata, California and began broadcasting in 2004.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Dart on Map - CKBC

Today's random dart landed near Mount Elizabeth in a largely (entirely?) unpopulated area of New Brunswick, Canada. The nearest station that I have a sticker from is CKBC "MAX 104.9" a CHR outlet which is located about 50 miles east in Bathurst, NB.