KFYR (AM)
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| City | Bismarck, North Dakota |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Bismarck-Mandan |
| Branding | KFYR 550 AM |
| Slogan | The Voice of the Northern Plains |
| Frequency | 550 kHz |
| Translator(s) | 99.7 K259AF (Bismarck) |
| First air date | 1925 |
| Format | Commercial; News/Talk |
| Power | 5,000 watts |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 41426 |
| Callsign meaning |
Pronounced as K-Fire |
| Affiliations | Fox News/Citadel |
| Owner |
iHeartMedia, Inc. (Citicasters Licenses, Inc.) |
| Sister stations | KBMR, KQDY, KSSS, KXMR, KYYY |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | kfyr.com |
Pronounced as K-Fire
KFYR (550 AM) is a radio station located in Bismarck, North Dakota, owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.. It transmits on a 5,000-Watt signal that can be heard in seven U.S. states and three Canadian provinces. KFYR also broadcasts on translator K259AF (99.7 FM) in Bismarck. 99.7 FM was previously a simulcast of KQDY 94.5 FM before 2011.
KFYR boasts an enormous coverage area. It can be heard across almost all of North Dakota during the day, as well as in parts of Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Nebraska. This owes to a combination of its position only one channel from the bottom of the North American AM dial, the height and power of its transmitter, and North Dakota's flat land. On the AM band, lower frequencies have longer waves, which tend to travel farther across terrain. This is especially true for stations that operate at 5,000 watts or more. Additionally, the flat landscape of the prairies makes for near-perfect ground conductivity. It has been claimed that KFYR has the largest land coverage area in the United States of any AM radio station during daytime hours. A similar claim can be made for WNAX in Yankton, South Dakota, which transmits on 570AM.
KFYR was founded in 1925 by Phillip J. Meyer and his wife, Etta Hoskins Meyer. It is Bismarck's oldest radio station. For many years, it was an NBC radio affiliate. In December 1953 it spawned a television station (KFYR-TV, western North Dakota's NBC television affiliate, and its three semi-satellites) and in 1966, KFYR-FM at 92.9 (now KYYY) began operation. At one time, the roster also included AM radio stations in Billings and Great Falls, MT, as well as an FM station in Minot, ND. The station group was known as "The Meyer Broadcasting Company" and remained under the ownership of the Meyer family until 1998.
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Wikipedia