KPSZ
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| City | Des Moines, Iowa |
|---|---|
| Branding | Praise 940 |
| Slogan | Today's Christian Music & The Word |
| Frequency | 940 kHz |
| First air date | January 15, 1948 (as KIOA) |
| Format | Christian music/talk radio |
| Power | 10,000 watts (day) 5,000 watts (night) |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 58533 |
| Former callsigns | KIOA (1948-1996) KXTK (1996-2002) |
| Owner | Saga Communications |
| Sister stations | KAZR, KMYR, KIOA, KRNT, KSTZ |
| Webcast | Listen Live (sports) |
| Website | praise940.com |
KPSZ (940 AM, "Praise 940") is a Christian radio station serving the Des Moines, Iowa, area. It is located at 940 on the AM dial. The station's studios are located at 1416 Locust Street in Des Moines along with Saga Communications' other Des Moines stations (KRNT, KSTZ, KIOA, KMYR and KAZR).
The station signed on the air January 15, 1948 as KIOA. Its studios were located in the Onthank building at 10th and Mulberry in downtown Des Moines. The transmitter and towers are located two miles northeast of Hartford, Iowa. The owners of KIOA, the Independent Broadcasting Company, were also issued an FM construction permit for 93.7 FM, but the station was never put on the air. KIOA was an independent station in its early years with a format of MOR music and news. This was a risky format in the post war era when network affiliations were still quite important. KIOA stayed competitive with the "big three" (WHO, KRNT, and KSO), in the Des Moines market and waged a spirited battle with its main competitor in the MOR format, KCBC. Also during this era, KIOA competed with WHO for the television license on channel 13. Palmer Broadcasting and WHO would be granted the license for what became WHO-TV.
The year 1957 brought the first two major changes to KIOA since its birth. In March the station moved its studios and offices out of the Onthank Building and into the old Tromar Ballroom at the corner of 5th and Park in downtown Des Moines. The second change that year would be one that would change the face of radio in Des Moines for the next 25 years. On May 1, 1957, KIOA became the first Top 40 station in the Des Moines area. The station was a hit overnight, shooting straight to the top of the Hoopers ratings. Within a year, KIOA would be joined by KSO and KWKY in the Top 40 arena. Even with competition, KIOA stayed on top, consistently beating out KSO and KWKY would change formats a few times before settling on a country music format.
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