KMTY (97.7 FM) is a

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 ...

licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

to serve

Gibbon, Nebraska Gibbon is a city in Buffalo County, Nebraska, Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Kearney, Nebraska Kearney micropolitan area, Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,833 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 ce ...

, United States. The station is owned by Joseph Vavricek, through licensee Legacy Communications, LLC. KMTY broadcasts an

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 ...

format branded as "Thunder 97.7 & 99.7" to the greater

Kearney, Nebraska Kearney is the county seat of Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 30,787 in the 2010 census. It is home to the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The westward push of the railroad as the Civil War ended gave new birt ...

, area. KMTY previously aired a country music format branded as "Big Country" and before that, an adult hits music format branded as "

Jack FM Jack FM is a radio network brand, licensed by Sparknet Communications, with the exception of the European Union where it is licensed by Oxis Media. It plays an adult hits radio format, format, in most cases not using disc jockey, DJs. Format c ...

" and before that a similar adult hits format as "

Bob FM BOB FM is the on-air brand of a number of FM radio stations in the United States and formerly in Canada. The BOB FM format mostly concentrates on album rock, alternative rock and pop hits from the 1980s and 90s, especially those popular during t ...

". In addition to its music programming, KMTY broadcasts

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

games as an affiliate of the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

radio network. The station was assigned the KMTY

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...

by the

U.S. Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...

(FCC) on April 1,

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

History

On September 30, 2011, KMTY was granted an FCC

construction permit Planning permission or developmental approval refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. It is usually given in the form of a building perm ...

to change the city of license from

Holdrege, Nebraska Holdrege is a city in Phelps County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 5,495 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Phelps County. The Nebraska Prairie Museum is located in Holdrege. History Holdrege was established in 1883 wh ...

, move to a new transmitter site, increase ERP to 100,000 watts and decrease HAAT to 42 meters. In May 2013, Armada Media and Legacy Broadcasting traded some stations in Nebraska, with two stations in Holdrege (KUVR and KMTY) going to Legacy and eight others in the Scottsbluff and North Platte markets (

KZTL KZTL (93.5 FM) is a 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 wav ...

KRNP ''For the airport with the ICAO code KRNP, see Owosso Community Airport'' KRNP (100.7 FM) is a classic rock formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Sutherland, Nebraska, serving the North Platte North is one of the four compass point ...

, KOAQ,

KOLT Kolt or kolty was a part of a female headgear, hanging on a ryasna at both temples as a sign of family's wealth, common in 11th-13th centuries in Old Rus'. It comprised a pair of metal pieces, joined to form a hollow medallion or star that ...

, KMOR,

KETT KETT (99.5 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a Catholic format. Licensed to Mitchell, Nebraska, United States, it is currently owned by VSS Catholic Communications, Inc. Format change On November 28, 2013, KETT switched from an Active Rock fo ...

KOZY-FM KOZY-FM (101.3 FM, "The Bluffs Hit Music Station") is a radio station broadcasting a Top 40 (CHR) music format. Licensed to Bridgeport, Nebraska, in the United States, the station is currently owned by the Nebraska Rural Radio Association. Ow ...

and

KHYY KHYY (107.3 FM, "The Trail 107.3") is a radio station broadcasting a classic country music format. Licensed to Minatare, Nebraska, in the United States, the station is currently owned by Nebraska Rural Radio Association. Ownership In May 2013, A ...

) going to Armada Media. The transaction was completed on October 11, 2013, for a purchase price of $800,000. On June 17, 2013, KMTY changed their format from adult hits (branded as "Jack FM") to country, branded as "Big Country 97.7". The move from Holdrege to Gibbon was licensed by the FCC on August 25, 2014. On September 6, 2021, KMTY flipped to active rock, branded as "Thunder 97.7 & 99.7".“Thunder” Rocks Third Central Nebraska Signal
Northpine.com - October 11, 2021

References

External links

FCC construction permitNorthpine
MTY Phelps County, Nebraska {{Nebraska-radio-station-stub