KCMO (AM)
Encyclopedia
KCMO is a Kansas City area
conservative talk radio station
. It airs mostly syndicated talk shows as those hosted by Sean Hannity
, Laura Ingraham
, Dave Ramsey
, Michael Savage
, and Rusty Humphries
. It was formerly affiliated with the CBS Radio Network
, but then switched to Fox News Radio. KCMO was originally on 810 AM, but switched frequencies with WHB in October 1998.
The station started in 1925 by Wilson Duncan Broadcasting on 1370 AM as KWKC. In 1936 it changed its called letters to KCMO (Kansas City Missouri). In 1939 it moved to 1450 AM and then 1480 AM. In September 1947 it moved to 810 AM.
Walter Cronkite
was a sports announcer at the station in the 1936 with the on air name of "Walter Wilcox". He met his wife Mary Elizabeth Maxwell there and left to become a reporter for United Press International
.
In 1953 the television station KCMO-TV was launched. Meredith Corporation
acquired both the radio and television stations in October 1953, less than a month after the television station went on the air. Meredith later acquired what became KCMO-FM
, 94.9 FM. The radio stations were spun off from the television station in 1983 when the TV station moved its studios to Fairway, Kansas
and changed its call letters to KCTV
. (Meredith continues to own KCTV to this day.) That year, Richard Fairbanks (a one-time owner of what is today WXIA-TV
in Atlanta, Georgia
) bought both of the KCMO radio stations. The stations were then sold to the Summit Communications Group
in 1985, then to the Gannett Company
in 1986. Bonneville International
, the then-owner of KMBZ and KLTH (now KZPT
), acquired both KCMO stations in 1993. Four years later, Bonneville sold its entire Kansas City cluster plus three radio stations in Seattle, Washington to Entercom Communications
. On October 3, 1998, shortly after Entercom assumed control of the KCMO stations, KCMO-AM swapped frequencies with WHB
, with KCMO assuming its present-day 710 AM position. In 2000, Entercom was forced to sell both KCMO stations to Susquehanna Radio after its purchase of Sinclair Broadcasting
's Kansas City properties (KQRC-FM
, KXTR-FM
and KCIY
) left it two stations over the Federal Communications Commission
's single-market ownership limit. Cumulus Media
acquired the stations in 2006 with its acquisition of Susquehanna.
When Cumulus assumed control of the station in mid-2006, local morning host Van Patrick quit on air, apparently upset over the firing of his producer as well as many others in the building and during a national purge of Cumulus employees. On September 12, the station began a new morning show, hosted by Chris Stigall. Stigall has since left the station and Greg Knapp is now the morning host. The morning show can be heard from 5am-9am Monday through Friday.
Now, KCMO has only one local weekday talk program, the standard morning news and talk show. All other programs during the remaining 20 hours are rebroadcast from satellite.
Ratings since the station dropped most local talk and news programming have suffered. The station, which used to be Kansas City's only talk radio station, usually appears near the lower end of the city's most listened to stations.
(to CNN, deceased), Rusty Humphries
(nationally syndicated), Rick Roberts
(to San Diego), Freddy Mertz, Wes Minter, George Woods, Van Patrick, Dan Taylor, Chris Baker
(to Houston and Minneapolis and now back to Houston), John Boss (now with Clear Channel Los Angeles as John Davidson), Claudia Lamb
, Bill Waris (deceased), Russ Johnson (to KOA and later KMBZ)(deceased), Mike Shanin (at KMBZ), Jerry Fogel, Scott Mayman
(Australia), Dan Roberts, Mike Throop, Mike McGee, Jack Ihrie (retired, living in Arkansas), Lafe Williams (retired), Joe Vaughan (retired), Ruth Baum (retired), Bill Cannaday (deceased), Harold Mack (Grove) (retired), Paul Fredrocks, Jamie McFerran, Dan Hurst, Dick Wolf, Brian Wilson, Don Mac Brown, Rick Tamblyn and Dale Ulmer (to Milwaukee).
Sports: Bruce Rice (deceased), Kevin Harlan
(NFL on CBS), Conrad Dobler
, Ed Bieler, Jon Hart, Al Eschbach, Don Fortune, Kevin Wall (ESPN), Wayne Larrivee
, Harold Ensley "The Sportsman's Friend".
Farm: George Stephens, Paul Pippert.
Weather: Mike Thompson (KCTV-5; WDAF-Fox4).
, Buddhism
, Judaism
and Islam
gathered in a May 2008 interfaith
meeting against alleged bigotry
and urged KCMO to drop Savage's program.
Kansas City Metropolitan Area
The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is a fifteen-county metropolitan area that is anchored by Kansas City, Missouri and is bisected by the border between the states of Missouri and Kansas. As of the 2010 Census, the metropolitan area has a population of 2,035,334. The metropolitan area is the...
conservative talk 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...
. It airs mostly syndicated talk shows as those hosted by Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity is an American radio and television host, author, and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Sean Hannity Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks. Hannity also hosts a cable news show, Hannity,...
, Laura Ingraham
Laura Ingraham
Laura Anne Ingraham is an American radio host, author, and conservative political commentator. Her nationally syndicated talk show, The Laura Ingraham Show, airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network...
, Dave Ramsey
Dave Ramsey
David L. Ramsey III is an American financial author, radio host, television personality, and motivational speaker.Ramsey's syndicated radio program The Dave Ramsey Show is promoted with a tagline that "It's about your life and your money," and it is heard on over 450 radio stations throughout the...
, Michael Savage
Michael Savage (commentator)
Michael Savage is a conservative American radio host, author, and political commentator. He is the host of The Savage Nation, a nationally syndicated talk show that airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network...
, and Rusty Humphries
Rusty Humphries
Ralph E. "Rusty" Humphries is an American radio host, conservative political commentator, and songwriter. Humphries' nationally-syndicated radio show, The Rusty Humphries Show, based in Atlanta, Georgia, airs on over 250 stations through Talk Radio Network.-Career:Humphries has hosted as a...
. It was formerly affiliated with the CBS Radio Network
CBS Radio Network
The CBS Radio Network provides news, sports and other programming to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by CBS Corporation, and operated by CBS Radio ....
, but then switched to Fox News Radio. KCMO was originally on 810 AM, but switched frequencies with WHB in October 1998.
The station started in 1925 by Wilson Duncan Broadcasting on 1370 AM as KWKC. In 1936 it changed its called letters to KCMO (Kansas City Missouri). In 1939 it moved to 1450 AM and then 1480 AM. In September 1947 it moved to 810 AM.
Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
was a sports announcer at the station in the 1936 with the on air name of "Walter Wilcox". He met his wife Mary Elizabeth Maxwell there and left to become a reporter for United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
.
In 1953 the television station KCMO-TV was launched. Meredith Corporation
Meredith Corporation
The Meredith Corporation is a media conglomerate based in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The company has two divisions, National Media and Local Media.-History:...
acquired both the radio and television stations in October 1953, less than a month after the television station went on the air. Meredith later acquired what became KCMO-FM
KCMO-FM
KCMO-FM, branded 94-9 KCMO, is a Classic Hits radio station that serves the Kansas City metropolitan area. The station, owned by Cumulus Broadcasting, was acquired from Susquehanna Radio in 2006. Its transmitter is located in Independence, Missouri.-History:...
, 94.9 FM. The radio stations were spun off from the television station in 1983 when the TV station moved its studios to Fairway, Kansas
Fairway, Kansas
Fairway is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. The population was 3,952 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Fairway is located at...
and changed its call letters to KCTV
KCTV
KCTV channel 5 is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Kansas City Metropolitan Area that is licensed to the Missouri side. Owned by the Meredith Corporation, the station is sister to MyNetworkTV affiliate KSMO-TV and the two share facilities on Shawnee Mission Parkway KCTV channel 5 is...
. (Meredith continues to own KCTV to this day.) That year, Richard Fairbanks (a one-time owner of what is today WXIA-TV
WXIA-TV
WXIA-TV, virtual channel 11.1 , is the NBC-affiliated television station in Atlanta, Georgia. Popularly known by its 11 Alive moniker, WXIA is owned by the Gannett Company in a duopoly with MyNetworkTV affiliate WATL...
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
) bought both of the KCMO radio stations. The stations were then sold to the Summit Communications Group
Summit Communications Group
The Summit Communications Group is an Atlanta-based communications company which once owned 16 radio stations around the United States. The company now concentrates on technology and internet services....
in 1985, then to the Gannett Company
Gannett Company
Gannett Company, Inc. is a publicly-traded media holding company headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States, near McLean. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation. Its assets include the national newspaper USA Today and the weekly USA Weekend...
in 1986. Bonneville International
Bonneville International
Bonneville International Corporation is a broadcasting company wholly owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through its for-profit arm, Deseret Management Corporation...
, the then-owner of KMBZ and KLTH (now KZPT
KZPT
KQTH is a news/talk radio station in Tucson, Arizona. 104-1, as it is known by listeners, is branded as "The Truth". KQTH is owned by Journal Broadcast Group....
), acquired both KCMO stations in 1993. Four years later, Bonneville sold its entire Kansas City cluster plus three radio stations in Seattle, Washington to Entercom Communications
Entercom Communications
Entercom Communications Corporation is the fourth-largest broadcasting company in the United States. As of November 2009, Entercom operates 110 radio stations in 23 markets across the United States....
. On October 3, 1998, shortly after Entercom assumed control of the KCMO stations, KCMO-AM swapped frequencies with WHB
WHB
WHB is a commercial sports radio station in Kansas City, Missouri, and is known as the first full-time Top 40 station in the country...
, with KCMO assuming its present-day 710 AM position. In 2000, Entercom was forced to sell both KCMO stations to Susquehanna Radio after its purchase of Sinclair Broadcasting
Sinclair Broadcast Group
The Sinclair Broadcast Group is an American telecommunications company that operates the largest number of local television stations in the United States. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, it owns a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of...
's Kansas City properties (KQRC-FM
KQRC-FM
KQRC-FM is a radio station licensed to Leavenworth, Kansas, and serves the Kansas City metropolitan area. The station's morning show, hosted by shock jock Johnny Dare, is regularly ranked atop the local Arbitron ratings...
, KXTR-FM
KRBZ
KRBZ, FM 96.5 in Kansas City, is an Alternative rock station. The station uses the brand name 96-5 The Buzz. It is the Kansas City market's home for the syndicated program Loveline. The station is owned by Entercom Communications, and is based in Mission, Kansas.-History:KRBZ began broadcasting in...
and KCIY
WDAF-FM
WDAF-FM is a country music radio station based in Kansas City, Missouri, in the United States. Its current assignment to Entercom's 100,000 Watt facility licensed to Liberty, Missouri, combines the history of both the frequency and the WDAF call letters.- The Early Days :WDAF was one of the first...
) left it two stations over the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
's single-market ownership limit. Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
acquired the stations in 2006 with its acquisition of Susquehanna.
When Cumulus assumed control of the station in mid-2006, local morning host Van Patrick quit on air, apparently upset over the firing of his producer as well as many others in the building and during a national purge of Cumulus employees. On September 12, the station began a new morning show, hosted by Chris Stigall. Stigall has since left the station and Greg Knapp is now the morning host. The morning show can be heard from 5am-9am Monday through Friday.
Local shows
The station aired a successful mornings program, hosted by George Woods, and an afternoon drive news program, hosted by Dan Roberts and Scott Mayman. The afternoon show proved popular and in its final survey beat the opposition KMBZ Drive show. Despite the popularity of the show, management canceled the program and brought in the syndicated conservative Sean Hannity, thus handing the audience back to the competitor KMBZ.Now, KCMO has only one local weekday talk program, the standard morning news and talk show. All other programs during the remaining 20 hours are rebroadcast from satellite.
Ratings since the station dropped most local talk and news programming have suffered. The station, which used to be Kansas City's only talk radio station, usually appears near the lower end of the city's most listened to stations.
Former hosts
Some former popular KCMO personalities include Joe Kramer (deceased), Mike Murphy (deceased), Dave Dawson (deceased), psychologist Marshall Saper (deceased), Don HarrisonDon Harrison
Don Harrison was an anchor on CNN Headline News from 1982 until his death from renal cancer in 1998. He was a member of the original team of anchors when Headline News went on the air for the first time as "CNN2" in 1982....
(to CNN, deceased), Rusty Humphries
Rusty Humphries
Ralph E. "Rusty" Humphries is an American radio host, conservative political commentator, and songwriter. Humphries' nationally-syndicated radio show, The Rusty Humphries Show, based in Atlanta, Georgia, airs on over 250 stations through Talk Radio Network.-Career:Humphries has hosted as a...
(nationally syndicated), Rick Roberts
Rick Roberts (commentator)
Rick Roberts is an American conservative talk radio host on 760 KFMB in San Diego, California from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.He has been on the air in San Diego since the 1990s.He is often joined on-air by his producers "Christine" and "David"...
(to San Diego), Freddy Mertz, Wes Minter, George Woods, Van Patrick, Dan Taylor, Chris Baker
Chris Baker (Talk Radio Host)
Chris Baker is an American comedian and radio talk show host.As a comedian, Baker has toured with comics like Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, Jerry Seinfeld, among others...
(to Houston and Minneapolis and now back to Houston), John Boss (now with Clear Channel Los Angeles as John Davidson), Claudia Lamb
Claudia Lamb
Claudia Lamb is an actress who is best known for portraying Heather Hartman in the soap opera Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and the show's sequel Forever Fernwood....
, Bill Waris (deceased), Russ Johnson (to KOA and later KMBZ)(deceased), Mike Shanin (at KMBZ), Jerry Fogel, Scott Mayman
Scott Mayman
Scott Mayman is an award-winning Australian radio presenter. Born in Australia, he has worked professionally in both his home country, and in the United States, where he has won a number of awards, including "Best Radio News Story" at the Gold Coast Media Awards in 2009.-References:...
(Australia), Dan Roberts, Mike Throop, Mike McGee, Jack Ihrie (retired, living in Arkansas), Lafe Williams (retired), Joe Vaughan (retired), Ruth Baum (retired), Bill Cannaday (deceased), Harold Mack (Grove) (retired), Paul Fredrocks, Jamie McFerran, Dan Hurst, Dick Wolf, Brian Wilson, Don Mac Brown, Rick Tamblyn and Dale Ulmer (to Milwaukee).
Sports: Bruce Rice (deceased), Kevin Harlan
Kevin Harlan
Kevin Harlan is an American television sports announcer. The son of former Green Bay Packers executive Bob Harlan, he currently broadcasts NFL and college basketball games on CBS. Harlan is also a play-by-play announcer for the NBA on TNT...
(NFL on CBS), Conrad Dobler
Conrad Dobler
Conrad Francis Dobler is a retired American football offensive lineman in the NFL.-Cardinals:Dobler was drafted in round 5 out of the University of Wyoming in the 1972 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. He played right offensive guard for the Cardinals from 1972 to 1977, next to Hall-of-Famer...
, Ed Bieler, Jon Hart, Al Eschbach, Don Fortune, Kevin Wall (ESPN), Wayne Larrivee
Wayne Larrivee
Wayne Larrivee is an American sportscaster, who is the radio play-by-play voice of the Green Bay Packers and football and basketball play-by-play voice for the Big Ten Network.-Early life and career:...
, Harold Ensley "The Sportsman's Friend".
Farm: George Stephens, Paul Pippert.
Weather: Mike Thompson (KCTV-5; WDAF-Fox4).
Controversy
In light of Michael Savage's controversial remarks concerning Islam, a group of 70 representatives from various religious groups such ChristianityChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
and Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
gathered in a May 2008 interfaith
Interfaith
The term interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels...
meeting against alleged bigotry
Bigotry
A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs...
and urged KCMO to drop Savage's program.