Radio Dubuque
Encyclopedia
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
based corporation that owns four radio stations. The company was founded in 2000 by Paul Hemmer, Tom Parsley and Don Rabbitt. The company currently owns KDTH
KDTH
KDTH AM 1370 is an AM radio station based in Dubuque, Iowa. The station is owned by Radio Dubuque. KDTH is a "full service" local radio station with a fulltime news department, sports director, farm director and staff of local personalities, many whom have been part of the Dubuque radio scene for...
AM 1370, and the following FM stations, KGRR 97.3, KATF
KATF
KATF is a radio station broadcasting a Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to serve the Dubuque, Iowa, USA area, the station is currently owned by Radio Dubuque, Inc., and features programming from Fox News Radio. Its transmitter is located across the Mississippi River from the northern part of...
"KAT-FM" 92.9, and WVRE
WVRE
WVRE is a radio station broadcasting a Country music format. Licensed to Dickeyville, Wisconsin, USA, the station serves the Dubuque area. The station is currently owned by Radio Dubuque, Inc. and features programing from Fox News Radio....
"The River" 101.1.
KGRR offers active rock. KAT-FM plays Adult Contemporary. WVRE "The River" plays country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
. KDTH offers adult standards, oldies, classic big band, news, sports, and other special programming. The stations participate in the CBS and Fox News radio network.
History
The station became an immediate success and within a year several offers were made by out of market groups to purchase it. Hemmer resisted and continued to build equity and a loyal following of listeners. In late 1999 he was approached by two broadcasters with whom he was acquainted in a "think tank" called "The International Broadcasters Idea Bank." Don Rabbitt and Tom Parsley, then of Worthington, MinnesotaWorthington, Minnesota
Worthington is a city in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 12,764 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nobles County.The city's site was first settled in the 1870s as Okabena Station on a line of the Chicago, St...
, agreed to purchase KGRR provided Hemmer could use his friendship with the owners of KDTH and KATF-FM to sell those properties so they could create a 3 station group to compete effectively with the stations in Dubuque owned by Cumulus Broadcasting. (WDBQ AM, KLYV-FM, WJOD-FM, KXGE-FM).
Woodward Communications, publishers of The Dubuque Telegraph-Herald newspaper owned KDTH and KATF. They agreed in January 2000 to sell their stations to the new Radio Dubuque group with Parsley as President, Hemmer as VP, and Don Rabbitt as CFO. KGRR relocated from studios on JFK Road to the KDTH/KAT-FM building at 8th & Bluff in downtown Dubuque. Several years later the company constructed an additional FM station, WVRE (101.1 FM) licensed to Dickeyville, Wisconsin
Dickeyville, Wisconsin
Dickeyville is a village in Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,043 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Dickeyville is located at ....
. Hemmer had applied for a construction permit for this new facility in late 1995, but a competing application and changes in FCC rules on new stations delayed the debut of the new station until 2003. It also broadcasts from the 8th & Bluff location with a modern country format.
External links
- Radio Dubuque's Website
- Websites for the stations owned by Radio Dubuque