KGRC (92.9 FM) is a CHR (Top 40) format

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

in the

Quincy, Illinois Quincy ( ), known as Illinois's "Gem City", is a city in and the county seat of Adams County, Illinois, United States, located on the Mississippi River. The 2020 census counted a population of 39,463 in the city itself, down from 40,633 in 2010. ...

, region owned by

STARadio Corporation STARadio is a radio broadcast company that owns several radio stations throughout the United States in the cities of Quincy and Kankakee, IL as well as stations in Great Falls, Montana. Radio stations * KGRC * KINX * KZZK *WCOY *WKAN * WQCY *WTAD ...

History

The station was purchased by

in early 2004 to compete with

KRRY KRRY (100.9 FM) is a radio station licensed to serve Canton, Missouri, United States. The station is owned by Townsquare Media. It broadcasts a classic rock music format to the greater Quincy, Illinois, and Hannibal, Missouri, area. History ...

(''Y101''), which was dominating the Quincy-Hannibal-Keokuk market. No other

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 ...

Hot AC 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 s ...

station was in the region. Great River Country welcomed KGRC to life in 1968. It was the brain child of Mel Elzea, the stations first GM, and partner Frank Laughlin. They helped create Great River Communications, Inc., and signed the FM giant on air with the Fifth Dimension pop hit, “Up, Up and Away.” The station went on to become the dominant aural medium in the market in the 1970s. Highlights of the early years include a gold record for first airing, “Indian Reservation,” by The Raiders, (Paul Revere and the Raiders featuring Mark Lindsay) and Missouri Broadcasting awards for flood coverage from up, up in a plane with Elzea and Program Director Mark Mathew. KGRC covered many formats through the 1970s and 1980s, primarily drifting between some form of

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, quie ...

and

. The station sponsored Explorer scout "Troop 929" in the early-1970s. Scouts included John Wingate, a long-time television journalist and now a Minneapolis communications consultant and writer, Dan Matticks, a longtime radio broadcaster, video producer Louie Schaefer, IT professional Larry Schaffer, Ken Abbath, and Paula Dean. The early-1990s brought the "Hot AC" boom, and a switch to the nickname "Variety 93". By 2000, the station had become "92.9 The River", and flipped to its current

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 "conte ...

format. Today, it is known as "Real 92.9".

Signal/Coverage

KGRC is one of the primary radio signals of the Tri-State region. The station has 100,000

Watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...

s of power so it covers a wide audience. The station's signal goes from

Macon, Missouri Macon is a city in and the county seat of Macon County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,457 at the 2020 census. History Macon was platted in 1856. Like the county, Macon was named for Nathaniel Macon. A post office called Macon Cit ...

, to

Jacksonville, Illinois Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,446 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County. It is home to Illinois College, Illinois School for the Deaf, and the ...

and

Troy, Missouri Troy is a city in Lincoln County, Missouri, United States. As of 2019, the estimated population was 12,820. It is the county seat of Lincoln County. Troy is an exurb of St. Louis, and is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. Histo ...

, to

Fort Madison, Iowa Fort Madison is a city and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States along with Keokuk. Of Iowa's 99 counties, Lee County is the only one with two county seats. The population was 10,270 at the time of the 2020 census. Located along the ...

Programming

''Elvis Duran''

''The

Elvis Duran and the Morning Show Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

'' is the daily morning show on Real 92.9 and is a syndicated program from New York City which also is broadcast on other stations throughout the country.

''Retro Lunch''

''The Retro Lunch'' starts at Noon and features Retro hits of the 1990s and early-2000s. The program lasts about 60 minutes.

''American Top 40''

''The

American Top 40 ''American Top 40'' (previously abbreviated to ''AT40'') is an internationally syndicated, independent song countdown radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds, and Ron Jacobs. The program is currently hosted by Ryan Seacr ...

(AT40)'' is a weekly countdown on Saturday nights that is heard in 400 cities, more than 30 countries, and the

Armed Forces Network The American Forces Network (AFN) is a government television and radio broadcast service the U.S. military provides to those stationed or assigned overseas. Headquartered at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, AFN's broadcast operations, which i ...

''Most Requested Live''

Formerly known as Saturday Night Online, ''Most Requested Live'' is a syndicated interactive radio show known for its artist interviews and social media presence.

External links

KGRC official website
{{coord, 39.730, N, 91.405, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title GRC Contemporary hit radio stations in the United States