| Simulcast ofKXNO (AM) Des Moines | |
|---|---|
 | |
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| Broadcast area | Des Moines metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 106.3MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 106.3 / 1460 KXnO |
| Programming | |
| Format | Sports radio |
| Subchannels | HD2:Country "96.9 The Bull" |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| KDRB,KKDM,KXNO,WHO,KASI,KCYZ | |
| History | |
First air date | July 1, 1991; 33 years ago (1991-07-01) (as KMXD) |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | derived from sister stationKXNO |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 69635 |
| Class | C3 |
| ERP | 25,000watts |
| HAAT | 100 meters (330 ft) |
| Translator(s) | 96.9 K245CO (Millman) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast |
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| Website | |
KXNO-FM (106.3MHz, "106.3 / 1460 KXnO") is acommercialradio stationlicensed toAnkeny, Iowa, and serving theDes Moinesradio market. It airs asports radioformat and is owned byiHeartMedia. The station's studios are located on Grand Avenue in Des Moines, and itstransmitter is located on Northeast 66th Avenue in Ankeny.[2]
KXNO-FM broadcasts in theHD Radio format. Its HD-2 subchannel airscountry music, also heard ontranslator station 96.9K245CO in Millman, using the moniker "96.9 The Bull".
The first station to occupy the 106.3 frequency was KANY, whichsigned on the air on February 4, 1978 with 3,000 watts of power.[3] The station had a format ofeasy listening andmiddle of the road music, focusing on Ankeny. On May 2, 1981, the station was sold by the Ankeny Broadcasting company toFuller-Jeffrey Broadcasting. After Fuller-Jeffrey acquired the station, thecall letters were changed toKJJY and the format tocountry.
As KJJY, the station slowly built a following taking on the market's current country giantKSO, which had been the market's country leader on the AM band since 1972. KJJY also fended off a challenge fromKKXI in 1986, asserting its dominance in the FM country market. To better compete in the market, KJJY moved to 92.5 MHz on July 1, 1988, and received a power upgrade to 50,000 watts. The 106.3 frequency would godark at this time.[4]
On July 1, 1991,[5] 106.3 signed back on as KMXD. This incarnation was owned by Van Oort Communications, and was programmed with abeautiful music/easy listening format.[6][7] The station was not a huge success, but it maintained a loyal following of listeners. On June 1, 1998, KMXD was acquired by Clear Channel Communications (nowiHeartMedia); upon acquiring KMXD, the call letters were moved to its new sister stationKLYF, which was known at the time as "Mix 100".[8] The 106.3 frequency received the new call letters KYSY, rebranded as "Sunny 106", and was reprogrammed as anadult contemporary music station.[9]
"Sunny 106" was never a top performer in the market, usually behind main rivalKLTI. On October 1, 1999, the call sign changed to KLYF while keeping the adult contemporary format. The thought was to bring back a historic name to the market in hopes of turning around the station's fortunes. In the two years that the station was KLYF, it did quite a bit better than KYSY, but still never lived up to expectations.
After the failure of two AC-formatted stations, Clear Channel decided to go in a totally different direction; at 9 a.m. on August 30, 2001, a newsmooth jazz format debuted, marking the first such station in the market. The new call letters were KVJZ and the station was known as "Smooth Jazz, V106.3".[10] Much like when the station was KMXD, this format never attracted huge numbers, but had a loyal following.
On October 1, 2003, at midnight, the format was changed once again torhythmic contemporary and the station became known as KDRB,106.3 The Beat.[11][12] Although it was the most successful format on the 106.3 frequency since KJJY, it largely cannibalized the audience of sisterMainstream CHR stationKKDM rather than attracting new listeners away from competitors.
On April 1, 2005, after a briefstunt with a loop ofWeird Al Yankovic's "Another One Rides the Bus", the station flipped toadult hits as106.3 The Bus.[13] The Bus did moderately well, picking up a very loyal fanbase while also maintaining decent ratings. On May 25, 2006, at noon, sister station KMXD startedsimulcasting The Bus.[14] For a few weeks, they became known as100.3 and 106.3 The Bus. This arrangement was short-lived, and at noon on June 12, 2006, theKDRB calls andThe Bus format moved completely to 100.3, replacing KMXD.
On June 12, 2006, the station re-launched asadult album alternative (AAA)Capital 106.3, and adopted the calls KPTL. The flip marked the first AAA station inDes Moines since the demise ofKFMG in 1996 (KFMG was resurrected on a low-power FM station at 98.9 FM that signed on February 26, 2007; it also has an AAA format).[15]
By 2011, KPTL shifted its direction from AAA tomodern adult contemporary, in an effort to compete withhot AC rivalKSTZ. This move resulted in KPTL being moved fromMediabase's AAA panel to theAdult Top 40 panel. By 2012, KPTL shifted towards a mainstreamHot AC direction, competing against KSTZ.
On November 1, 2013, the station did an early conversion to aChristmas music format for the remainder of the year asCapital Christmas 106.3. Following the holiday, it swapped formats with co-ownedalternative rock stationKCCQ and becameAlt 106.3.[16][17] On April 4, 2014, KPTL changed its call letters to KDXA.
On January 16, 2020, it was announced thatsports talk sister stationKXNO would add an FM simulcast on KDXA. The station had dismissed its morning and afternoon hosts, as well as several other staff members, as part of national layoffs by iHeartMedia resulting from corporate restructuring. After criticism of the move by listeners, the company reversed course.[18][19] KDXA began simulcasting KXNO on January 21.[20] The call sign was changed to KXNO-FM on April 1, 2020.[21]
41°40′44″N93°35′46″W / 41.679°N 93.596°W /41.679; -93.596