KNCY (AM)

KNCY
Broadcast areaNebraska City-Auburn-Falls City
Frequency1600 kHz
BrandingOtoe County Country
Programming
FormatClassic country
AffiliationsFox News Radio
United Stations Radio Networks
Ownership
Owner
KBIE
History
First air date
May 26, 1957
Call sign meaning
Nebraska CitY
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID63941
ClassD
Power500 watts day
31 watts night
Translator105.5 K288GS (Nebraska City)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
WebsiteOtoe County Country Online

KNCY (1600 kHz) is an AM radio station broadcasting a classic country format.[2] Licensed to Nebraska City, Nebraska, United States, the station serves the Omaha area. The station is currently owned by Flood Broadcasting, Inc. and features programming from Cumulus Media Networks.[3]

KNCY was the local affiliate for the Nebraska City Pioneers (Nebraska City High School) and the Auburn Bulldogs (Auburn High School).[4] The station carries the Omaha-based Huskers Radio Network, broadcasting Nebraska Cornhuskers football and basketball games.[5]

Founding and Early Years

KNCY first signed on the air on May 26, 1957, under the ownership of Robert Thomas, an announcer from Lincoln, Nebraska.[6] The station was originally licensed to Nebraska City, Nebraska, and broadcast at 1550 AM. Its original facilities included two 150-foot towers and a broadcast power of 500 watts, with daytime-only operation to avoid interference with other stations on the same frequency. In 1968, Thomas expanded his holdings by launching a co-owned FM station, KNCY-FM (103.1 FM), which was the first FM station to broadcast in the Nebraska City area.[7] The two stations largely simulcast local programming and news to serve the rural communities along the Missouri River.

In the late 1960s, the call letters for the AM station were briefly changed to KNCY.[8] This was done to match the existing KNCY-FM, creating a consistent brand for the market.

In the 1970s, KNCY-AM began to transition toward a Country and Western format, featuring popular artists of the era.[9] The station remained under Robert Thomas's ownership for over three decades, becoming a fixture in the community. In 1989, Thomas sold the stations, marking the end of the original ownership era.[10] The AM station eventually separated from its FM counterpart (103.1, which became KMAJ-FM). It continued to operate under various ownership groups, often pairing local classic hits and oldies programming.[11]

On October 9, 2017, KNCY changed their format from news to classic country, branded as "Otoe County Country".[12]

References

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KNCY". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "KNCY Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. ^ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Archived from the original on March 1, 2010.
  4. ^ "KNCY AM/FM". Nebraska City Area Economic Development.
  5. ^ "Huskers Radio Network Affiliates". Nebraska Athletics.
  6. ^ "Broadcasting Telecasting 1957-07-01" (PDF). World Radio History. p. 99.
  7. ^ "A Day in the Life of a Radio Station Owner" (PDF). Nebraska History Magazine. Nebraska State Historical Society. p. 48.
  8. ^ "The 1960s". AIMS Radio.
  9. ^ "Broadcasting Magazine 1978-01-30" (PDF). World Radio History. p. 83.
  10. ^ "Broadcasting Magazine 1989-08-07" (PDF). World Radio History. p. 71.
  11. ^ "KNCY-AM - Radio Station History". Oldies Loon.
  12. ^ Classic Country Comes to Nebraska City Radioinsight - October 10, 2017


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