KMA-AM
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KMA-AM is a radio station Shenandoah, Iowa operate on 960 AM, with a colorful history and is one of the only radio stations in the country tracing back to its original 1925 owners.
The station was founded in 1925 by seed salesman Earl May. May and Henry A. Field of Shenandoah were rivals in the seed business. In 1925 Field of Field's Nuersery founded radio station KFNF while May founded KMA. While both stations offered farm news the two were to become most competitive by offering live productions of hillbilly music. According KMA's website more than a million people were to come small town Shenandoah to hear the music.
May built the station headquarters and Mayfair Auditorium across the street from the nursery business. Between music sets, May would pitch his seeds and tell nostalgic stories. Its website says in 1926 it May "Radio Digest" gold cup being voted the "World's Most Popular Radio Announcer" by over 452,000 people throughout the United States.
The KMA shows which were broadcast in the afternoons were called the "KMA Country School" and according to the format emanated from the fictional KMA District No. 9 school with the shows beginning with the ringing of a school bell.
Performers would often go to Council Bluffs, Iowa after the show where they would perform at night.
With the high visibility KMA operated on a slogan of "Keep Millions Advised." KFNF was to operate on "Keep Friendly, Never Frown."
In 1949 May Broadcasting company started KMTV in Omaha, Nebraska (the second oldest television station in Nebraska). It originally wanted to call it KMA-TV. However, the FCC would not permit the name since the Shenandoah and Omaha are 61 miles apart. May Broadcasting sold KMTV in 1986.
The county school shows were discontinued in the 1950s and the station continued to offered its farm show and farm house wife shows. May Broadcasting has an FM station KKBZ in neighboring Clarinda, Iowa and owns Hometown Cable in southwest Iowa. The Earl May Garden Company is still family owned.
The station operates at 5kW.
Field eventually sold KFNF and its seed business.
In the book The Bridges of Madison County, which sold more than 60 million copies, the characters listen to KMA. In the 1995 movie directed by Clint Eastwood references to the station were removed and the format of the radio was switched to jazz.
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| AM radio stations in the Omaha-Council Bluffs market (Arbitron #72) | |
|---|---|
| By frequency: |
590 | 660 | 920 | 960 | 1020 | 1110 | 1180 | 1290 | 1340 | 1420 | 1490 | 1560 | 1600 | 1620 |
| By callsign: |
KCRO | KFAB | KHUB | KKAR | KLNG | KMA | KNCY | KOIL | KOMJ | KOTK | KOZN | KYDZ | KYFR | KXSP |
By Frequency: | (FM) 88.5 | 89.3 | 89.9 | 90.3 | 91.1 | 92.3 | 92.9 | 94.1 | 95.1 | 96.1 | 96.9 | 97.7 | 98.1 | 98.5 | 99.9 | 100.7 | 101.9 | 102.7 | 103.7 | 104.1 | 104.5 | 105.3 | 106.3 | 107.3
(AM) 590 | 660 | 840 | 960 | 1020 | 1110 | 1180 | 1240 | 1290 | 1400 | 1480 | 1560 | 1620
By Calls: | KBBK | KBBX | KCRO | KEZO | KFAB | KFGE | KFLV | KFOR | KFRX | KGBI | KGOR | KIBZ | KKAR | KLCV | KLIN | KLMS | KLMY | KLNC | KLNG | KLTQ | KMA | KOIL | KOZN | KQBW | KQCH | KQKQ | KRKR | KRNU | KSRZ | KTGL | KTIC | KUCV | KXKT | KXSP | KYDZ | KZKX | KZUM
