In September 2002, the station (as KLWW, its 1960s incarnation) was inducted into the Iowa Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.[1][4]
In November 2002, then-station owner and long-time morning host Rick Sellers was honored with the Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival Peter Teahen Award.[5]
Programming
The station broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The bulk of its music programming, the "Greatest Hits of All Time," consists of Top 40 hits from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s. The station carries CBS Radio news at the top of every hour. Music broadcasts at hours not listed below, including the evenings weekdays, are automated.
The station employs three main LIVE on-air personalities; Morning Show Host (Ricky Bartlett), Afternoon Host (Holly 'Stevie' Penuel), and Sports Host (Jim Ecker).
Jukebox Rewind dives into the oldies live with by Frank Balvanz from 7pm to 9pm Saturday nights. Each show he chooses his music based off of a specific theme for that weekend.
On Sunday mornings, the station airs Sunday Morning Church Services from First Lutheran Church In Cedar Rapids (8:30 – 9:00am).
The Sunday Morning Polka Show is on from 9am to noon. Frank Balvans keeps the shows tradition alive as he as he plays both physical records and digital music.
Sunday Gold Delight explores the B sides of the 60s, 70s, and 80s from 6pm to 8pm Sunday nights. Join Jamie and Justin as they play these less highlighted tracks and put a spotlight on their artists.
HD radio
In 2004, KMRY became the first AM radio station in Iowa to implement HD Radio broadcasting.[1][6] On January 4, 2004, the first consumer sale of a commercial HD radio, a Kenwood model KTC-HR 100 converter, was made at Ultimate Electronics in Cedar Rapids as a publicity stunt before the national debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas later that week.[7] As of September 2012, the station was no longer broadcasting in HD.
FM radio
On July 1, 2011 KMRY began simulcasting its AM programming on FM, broadcasting a 250 watt signal on 93.1 MHz from translator K226BO in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (originally located in Anamosa, Iowa).
^Hogan, Dick (2002-11-20). "Freedom Festival honors C.R. broadcaster". The Gazette (Cedar Rapids-Iowa City).
^Davidson, Paul (2005-08-23). "Digital radio emerges into the future". USA Today. KMRY-AM, an adult standards music station in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, added digital two years ago, hoping the fuller, clearer sound attracts new listeners. "It's going to save (AM) stations like us," says KMRY owner Rick Sellers. "I'm not going to double my audience, but by God, I can be (the city's No. 4 station), up from No. 7."
^Ford, George C. (2004-01-05). "C.R. station pioneers digital radio". The Gazette (Cedar Rapids-Iowa City).
