KBOB is a radio station licensed to
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...
, and airs a
sports
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...
format. The station's frequency is 1170
kHz
The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that on ...
, and broadcasts at a power of 1 kW. Its transmitter is in Knoxville Road just outside of
Milan, Illinois
Milan ( ) is a village in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,099 at the 2010 census.
The village is located near the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa.
History
The village is on the Rock River in northwest Illinois ...
.
KBOB is owned by
Townsquare Media
Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...
, with studios located at 1229 Brady Street in
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...
(along with the co-located
KJOC,
WXLP
WXLP (96.9 MHz FM) is a commercial radio station, licensed to Moline, Illinois, and serving the Quad Cities area of Illinois and Iowa. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts a classic rock radio format. Its radio studios and ...
,
KBEA-FM
KBEA-FM (99.7 FM, "B100") is a radio station in Davenport, Iowa, serving the Quad Cities, that is licensed to Muscatine, whose format is Top 40 (CHR). The station broadcasts at a power of 100 kW, from a transmitter located near Wilton, I ...
and
KIIK-FM
KIIK-FM (104.9 FM) is a commercial radio station located in DeWitt, Iowa, broadcasting to the Quad Cities, Iowa area on 104.9 FM. Established in 1977 as WRSQ-FM, KIIK-FM is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts a country music format. Studio ...
).
History
The station signed on July 7, 1946 as KSTT, broadcasting from the Hotel Davenport in downtown Davenport. Format was typical of the era, with big band and vocal pop, along with news, sports and farm markets.
It wasn't until the mid-1950s—when it began playing the then-new
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
/
Contemporary Hit Radio
Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...
genre—that the station really took off in popularity. Disc jockeys made liberal use of listener requests and call-in contests. If there was a live broadcast or news happening in the
Quad Cities
The Quad Cities is a region of cities (originally four, see History) in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois: Davenport and Bettendorf in southeastern Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline and East Moline in northwestern Illinois. These cities are t ...
, listeners were sure to spot the "Big Red" mobile news cruiser. KSTT also polled listeners on their favorite current songs, which disc jockeys then presented in a weekly countdown program.
Quad Cities
The Quad Cities is a region of cities (originally four, see History) in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois: Davenport and Bettendorf in southeastern Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline and East Moline in northwestern Illinois. These cities are t ...
area servicemen in
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
had tapes of KSTT programming sent to them.
The station, which moved in 1963 to 1111 East River Drive in downtown Davenport, had a large window in its studio, where motorists could see their favorite on-air disc jockeys broadcasting. Listeners today remember such radio personalities as Jay Gregory, Mike Kenneally, Michelle Coleman, Tom Clay, Bill Young, Greg Garron, Bryan Bradford, Dave Shropshire, Lou Gutenberger, Bobby Rich, Bob Bateman, Ruth & Fred,
"Spike @ the Mic" O'Dell & Jim O'Hara, each of them presenting the current Top 40 hits in an entertaining way. Members of the station's award-winning news department included News Director Jerry Reid and reporters Dave Douglas (Tom Hosmanek), Gary Hummel, Paulee Lipsman, John Cloghssey, Dan Kennedy, Dan Potter, Jack Gabor, David McAlary & Fred Manfra.
KSTT listeners became participants as well as listeners, phoning in news tips, requesting songs. They attended KSTT-sponsored "hootenannys", sock-hops, "Smallstars" basketball games, picnics, concerts & "Good Guy-A-Go-Go" dances & contests. Dick Orkin's infamous "Chicken Man" a radio series & "The Tooth Fairy" another radio series episodes were heard daily.
For many years, KSTT remained the top-rated station in the Quad Cities market. But by the late 1970s early 1980s, KSTT's audience started to shrink. In August 1984, KSTT changed callsigns to KKZX, known to listeners as "11-KZX", and took one last-ditch effort at Top 40 music and had mild success. In early 1986, KKZX flipped to
easy listening
Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...
until 1987. After Guy Gannett Broadcasting sold the station as well as its sister station
97X to Goodrich Broadcasting, the station returned to its legendary KSTT call letters, but began programming "Golden Oldies" music from the 1950s through early 1970s. It worked for a while, but the resurgence was temporary.
Beginning in January 1989, KSTT was doing some simulcasting with sister FM station WXLP. By February 1992, 1170 AM's format was largely
sports talk
Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often- boisterous on-ai ...
. In March 1993, the station's call letters were switched to KJOC.
During its 10-year run as a sports station, KJOC received most of its programming from ESPN Radio, and was the Quad Cities outlet for Chicago-area professional sports, including the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
,
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...
,
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
and the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
. For most of the 1990s, KJOC also provided coverage of local sports.
In April 2003, KJOC adopted a talk radio format. Branding itself as "Super Talk 1170," KJOC's flagship program was "
The O'Reilly Factor
''The O'Reilly Factor'' (originally titled ''The O'Reilly Report'' and also known as ''The Factor'') is an American cable television news and talk show. ''The O'Reilly Factor'' first aired in the United States on Fox News Channel on October 7 ...
" hosted by
Bill O'Reilly. Chicago-area sports remained a fixture on the station.
On August 20, 2008, KJOC switched to an oldies format, getting most of its programming from
ABC Radio Networks ABC Radio may refer to:
Australia
* History of ABC Radio (Australia), the division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) responsible for:
** ABC Classic, a classical music radio station
** ABC Classic 2, an un-presented streaming-only c ...
' "
True Oldies Channel
Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel (also known more recently as ''The True Oldies Channel: Greatest Hits'') is a radio network begun in the spring of 2004. Originally distributed by ABC Radio Networks via satellite, the service plays a hybrid ol ...
." The sports lineup continued to feature Chicago-area and Iowa State University sports.
On February 20, 2012,
KUUL
KUUL (101.3 FM, "101-3 KISS FM") is an American commercial Top 40 (CHR) radio station serving the Quad Cities area. They are owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. with studios located in Davenport, Iowa, and a transmitter located near Port Byron, Illinois ...
dropped their longtime oldies format and switched to a
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
, which temporarily left KJOC as the lone oldies station in the
Quad Cities
The Quad Cities is a region of cities (originally four, see History) in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois: Davenport and Bettendorf in southeastern Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline and East Moline in northwestern Illinois. These cities are t ...
; shortly after KUUL's switch,
WYEC ("Rewind 93.9") began emphasizing its oldies format, which it had adopted some time earlier. KJOC's "True Oldies Channel" service focused on 1960s and 1970s music, while WYEC largely played music from the 1970s and 1980s plus some from the 1960s.
New owners and more format switches
On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in which
Townsquare Media
Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...
would acquire 53
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is an American broadcasting company and is the third largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States behind Audacy and iHeartMedia. As of June 2019, Cumulus lists ownership of 428 stations in 87 ...
stations, including KJOC, for $238 million. The deal is part of Cumulus' acquisition of
Dial Global
Westwood One is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming.
The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1978. The company w ...
; Townsquare and Dial Global are both controlled by
Oaktree Capital Management
Oaktree Capital Management is an American global asset management firm specializing in alternative investment strategies. As of March 31, 2022, the company managed $164 billion for its clientele.
The firm was co-founded in 1995 by a group that ...
.
The transaction was consummated effective November 14, 2013.
The format switched back to sports – a format last at 1170 AM 11 years earlier – on May 1, 2014, once again getting network programming from ESPN Radio.
On June 16, 2014, sister station
KQCS (93.5 FM) began simulcasting KJOC's AM signal, as part of a planned format change – from
hot adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...
to sports – at that frequency. The call letters were switched to KBOB (the letters formerly held by the station's sister frequency at 104.9 FM) on July 1, but initially continued to simulcast the sports talk format.
On September 8, 2014, a new
classic country
Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country and western music hits from past decades.
Repertoire
The radio format specializes in hits from the 1950s through the early 1980s, and focus primarily on innov ...
music format debuted at 1170 AM, with programming from
Westwood One
Westwood One is an American radio network
There are two types of radio network currently in use around the world: the one-to-many (simplex communication) broadcast network commonly used for public information and mass-media entertainment, and ...
. The station was slated to begin carrying reports from the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network by mid-September. Initial plans were to continue carrying
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...
sports events and local high school sports, as the station has done in the past;
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
games were to remain at 1170 AM until the 2015 season, at which time they were to begin being carried on 93.5 FM. It was the first time 1170 AM carried a country music format full time, and marked the first-time local agriculture reports were available on a Quad Cities radio station since 2004.
In January 2015, it was announced that KBOB would become the radio broadcaster for the
Quad Cities River Bandits
The Quad Cities River Bandits are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Their home games are played at Modern Woodmen Park (formerly John O'Donnell Stadium) in Davenport, Iowa, one ...
; a Class-A
Minor League Baseball team which is the
Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
affiliate of the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
.
1AM 1170 had been the play-by-play broadcaster for the
2Quad Cities River Bandits from 1988 to 1996 before losing the broadcast rights to cross-market competitor
WKBF in 1997. 2015 marks the first time AM 1170 would be the
play-by-play
In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...
broadcaster for the
Quad Cities River Bandits
The Quad Cities River Bandits are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Their home games are played at Modern Woodmen Park (formerly John O'Donnell Stadium) in Davenport, Iowa, one ...
in 19 years.
On August 30, 2019, KBOB returned to sports talk, branded as "ESPN 1170 AM", which moved from sister
KJOC. Concurrently, that station flipped to
active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...
.
I-Rock 93.5 Debuts in Quad Cities; ESPN Moves to 1170
Radioinsight - August 30, 2019
Notes
*1. AM 1170 held the callsign KSTT from 1988 to 1992 and the callsign KJOC from 1993 to 1996.
*2. The Quad Cities River Bandits were known as the Quad City Angels from 1988 to 1991 and the Quad City River Bandits from 1992 to 1996.
References
*Anderson, Frederick I, editor. "Joined By a River: Quad Cities." Lee Enterprises, 1982.
External links
Cumulus Quad Cities market
An example of a KSTT survey from January 1972
Another KSTT survey, this one from November 1974
*
*
{{Townsquare Media
Radio stations established in 1946
Radio stations in the Quad Cities
1946 establishments in Iowa
Townsquare Media radio stations
Sports radio stations in the United States
ESPN Radio stations