| Broadcast area | Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 94.1MHz |
| Branding | 94.1 KRNA |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic rock |
| Affiliations | Compass Media Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KDAT,KHAK | |
| History | |
First air date | October 4,1974 (at 93.5) |
Former frequencies | 93.5 MHz (1974–1979) 93.9 MHz (1979–1991) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 35555 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 100,000watts |
| HAAT | 299 meters (981 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°45′0″N91°50′16″W / 41.75000°N 91.83778°W /41.75000; -91.83778 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | krna.com |
KRNA (94.1 FM) is aclassic rock-formattedradio station licensed toIowa City, Iowa. The station is currently owned byTownsquare Media. KRNA's studios located in the Alliant Energy Building in DowntownCedar Rapids, and their transmitter is located west ofOxford.[2]
In 1971, a group ofUniversity of Iowa students formed a company known as Communicators Inc. of Iowa that aimed "to put together a radio station with a major market sound in what was basically a small-to-medium market."[3] At the time,FM radio stations in Iowa were primarily used forbeautiful music formats or repeater signals for co-ownedAM stations whilepopular music was played on AM stations. By 1974, Communicators Inc. of Iowa had been renamed KRNA, Inc., and the company was grantedFCC approval to begin broadcasting. KRNA began broadcasting at 93.5 FM on October 4, 1974. (KRNA later moved to 93.9 FM in 1979 before moving to its present 94.1 FM at 9 a.m. on October 14, 1991.)[4] By January 1975,Arbitron telephone surveys showed that nearly half of local radio listeners were tuned into KRNA. As part of its "major market sound", KRNA pre-recorded its commercial announcements during a time when most commercials were read live on the air, and it also broadcast 24 hours a day while other radio stations signed off during the overnight hours for equipment maintenance.[5]
When the early 1980s rolled along, KRNA began tweaking its Top 40 format by leaning towards rock. In June 1985, the station dropped its rock-leaned Top 40 format foralbum rock. In 1994, KRNA purchasedKQCR (102.9 FM) in Cedar Rapids, the area's longtime dominant CHR station, to create the area's first radioduopoly. After reformatting KQCR ascountry music station KXMX, owners Rob Norton and Eliot Keller agreed to sell KRNA and KXMX to Capstar Broadcasting in 1998. While the KRNA sale was successful, Capstar terminated the agreement to buy KXMX.[6] (Norton and Keller kept KXMX, renaming itKZIA and changing the station's format tocontemporary hits.) AMFM, Inc., acquired Capstar in 1999, andClear Channel Communications acquired AMFM in 2000; however, KRNA was sold toCumulus Media that year since Clear Channel already owned a group of stations in eastern Iowa.[7]
In 2004, KRNA's format shifted fromclassic rock toactive rock, adopting the nickname "Real Rock 94.1". That year, formerKFMW morning DJs Lou Waters and Scott Steele became the station's morning-drivedisc jockeys. Lou and Scott were replaced byDavenport-based DJs Greg Dwyer and Bill Michaels in January 2007.Dwyer and Michaels joined KRNA as the result of anon-compete clause that prevented them from working at any station in theQuad Cities market for six months after their contract with Clear Channel Communications expired at the end of 2006. Dwyer and Michaels, who had previously worked withWXLP andKCQQ radio in the Quad Cities, rejoined Cumulus-owned WXLP on July 13, 2007, but continued to simulcast their show on KRNA until late 2008. Clear Channel sued Dwyer and Michaels in February 2007, claiming that KRNA was audible in the Quad Cities area and the duo was actively promoting the show in the Quad Cities. On March 1, 2007, aScott County judge ruled that Dwyer and Michaels did not violate the clause sinceArbitron did not consider the Quad Cities part of KRNA's market area.[8] Dwyer and Michaels would return to KRNA in October 2020.[9]
For many years, KRNA was known for distributing free posters of theIowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team at live remote broadcasts. This tradition began in the late 1970s, and while the posters are now sold by the University of Iowa athletic department, they continue to be printed under the sponsorship of KZIA.[10]
On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in whichTownsquare Media would acquire 53 Cumulus stations, including KRNA, for $238 million. The deal was part of Cumulus' acquisition ofDial Global; Townsquare and Dial Global are both controlled byOaktree Capital Management.[11][12] The sale to Townsquare was completed on November 14, 2013.[13]
On September 5, 2014, KRNA adjusted its playlist to include more songs from thealternative rock genre.[14]
At 5 p.m. on August 12, 2016, KRNA shifted back toclassic rock.[15]