KFMW
Encyclopedia
KFMW, known as "Rock 108", is a radio station
based in Waterloo, Iowa
. The station has an active rock
format. Its signal is transmitted from the AFLAC Tower
north of Rowley, Iowa
.
" by some and "elevator music
" by most. It ran this format until the early 1980s when it was flipped to a contemporary hit radio
format. It remained a CHR format until approximately 1992 when it was given its current name, "Rock 108." The station was essentially a classic rock
station for a few years, morphed into an alternative rock
format for a time in the mid-1990s, and eventually began an active rock
stance in the late 1990s which it remains today.
The station was sold by Black Hawk Broadcasting to Forward Broadcasting in the early 1980s, sold to Park Broadcasting in the late 1980s, and then sold to its current owner, Bahakel Communications
based in Charlotte, North Carolina
, in 1996.
KFMW-FM is the #1 ranked rock station in eastern Iowa, serving the Waterloo/Cedar Falls
metropolitan area as well as the Cedar Rapids
metropolitan area.
Rock 108 shares the same nickname and frequency as Rock 108 in Valdosta, Georgia
.
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...
based in Waterloo, Iowa
Waterloo, Iowa
Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the population decreased by 0.5% to 68,406. Waterloo is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the more populous of the two...
. The station has an active rock
Active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
format. Its signal is transmitted from the AFLAC Tower
AFLAC Tower
AFLAC Tower is a tall guyed mast located at Rowley, Iowa at in the United States. AFLAC Tower was completed in July 1984, and is 1999 ft tall with appurtenances and 1866 ft without appurtenances...
north of Rowley, Iowa
Rowley, Iowa
Rowley is a city in Buchanan County, Iowa, United States. The population was 290 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rowley is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
.
History
KFMW came on the air in 1968 as KWWL-FM and was originally owned by Black Hawk Broadcasting Company of Waterloo. It was one of two radio stations owned by Black Hawk Broadcasting's NBC affiliate, KWWL-TV, and for approximately 10 years, KWWL-FM/KFMW programmed an instrumental music format of what was called "beautiful musicBeautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
" by some and "elevator music
Elevator music
Elevator music refers to instrumental arrangements of popular music designed for playing in shopping malls, grocery stores, department stores, telephone systems , cruise ships, airports, doctors' and dentists' offices, and elevators...
" by most. It ran this format until the early 1980s when it was flipped to a contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
format. It remained a CHR format until approximately 1992 when it was given its current name, "Rock 108." The station was essentially a classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
station for a few years, morphed into an alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
format for a time in the mid-1990s, and eventually began an active rock
Active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
stance in the late 1990s which it remains today.
The station was sold by Black Hawk Broadcasting to Forward Broadcasting in the early 1980s, sold to Park Broadcasting in the late 1980s, and then sold to its current owner, Bahakel Communications
Bahakel Communications
Bahakel Communications is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based communications company that owns radio and television stations in the United States...
based in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, in 1996.
KFMW-FM is the #1 ranked rock station in eastern Iowa, serving the Waterloo/Cedar Falls
Cedar Falls, Iowa
Cedar Falls is a city in Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States, and it is home to one of Iowa's three public universities, the University of Northern Iowa. The population was 39,260 in the 2010 census, an increase from the 36,145 population in the 2000 census...
metropolitan area as well as the Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...
metropolitan area.
Rock 108 shares the same nickname and frequency as Rock 108 in Valdosta, Georgia
Valdosta, Georgia
Valdosta is the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. It is the principal city of the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 54,518. The Valdosta metropolitan area, according to the 2010 estimate, has a population of 139,588...
.