It was March 1978 when I arrived in Cedar Rapids to be early morning anchor and general assignment reporter for KCRG-TV9, coming from KSFY-TV in Sioux Falls, SD, where I was a reporter, producer, weekend sports anchor and later assignment editor/assistant news director. Prior to that, I worked a short time at KORN-AM in Mitchell, …
Category: KCCK Blog
Feb. 12 106.9 Update-Dennis
If you’ve been trying to to listen to KCCK at 106.9 (Tuesday, Feb. 12), you’ve probably already figured out we’re off the air. We lost the signal overnight. The tower is at a rural Johnson County site, pretty far down the snowplow-priority list. Plus, the site itself hasn’t been plowed, so we can’t get in …
106.9 Travails – Dennis
As of this writing, KCCK’s Johnson County translator at 106.9 is back on the air. The recent ice and snow storms have really taken a toll on this aging unit. The current problems are compounded by the fact that our auxiliary transmitter has only been running at about half its rated power of 100 watts …
Oscar Peterson Dies – George
Jazz great Oscar Peterson has died at the age of 82. The pianist died of kidney failure at his home in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga Sunday. Peterson was born Aug. 15, 1925, in a poor neighborhood southwest of Montreal. He played with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie …
Ice, Ice, Everywhere…And None For My Martini–Dennis
As of this writing, KCCK is back up to full power for the first time since December 1st. During ice storms, radio towers, like trees and power lines, get caked with ice. As ice builds up, so does electrical resistance. Our transmitter automatically starts to reduce the power sent through the line to prevent dangerous …
Any Jackrabbits, Bison in the Audience? – George
There’s a big football game in Brookings, S.D., Saturday when South Dakota State and North Dakota State play for the Great West Football Conference championship. It’s also the “Battle for the Dakota Marker” – sort of their version of Floyd of Rosedale. The trophy is a replica of the border marker between the states of …
Bobby D. Featured in Gazette – George
A nice article in the Monday, Nov. 12 Cedar Rapids Gazette about KCCK’s DaBlues host Bob DeForest. Check it out at http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071112/NEWS/711120021/1002/NEWS George Dorman – News Director
KCCK’s Veterans
With the coming of Veterans Day, it’s worth noting that several veteran KCCK staffers are also veterans of military service. KCCK Morning Man, Talking Pictures co-host and Got-a-Minute’s Mark Yother was in the Air Force for three years. He was editor of the base newspaper at Ent Air Force Base in Colorado, then worked in …