Earlier in the fall semester, KCCK announced via Instagram, “106.9 is going on temporary hiatus [in Iowa City].” This is due to the sale of Kirkwood Community College’s Iowa City building on Lower Muscatine Avenue, where the radio antenna tower and translator were located.
KCCK is still receiving phone calls and emails from Iowa City listeners inquiring about the problem of KCCK in that area, said Dennis Green, KCCK’s general manager. “I explained to them that we’re off but it is temporary,” he said.
“In the past I had listened to [KCCK], especially in the car, I felt like it was always the right thing to have on,” said Bei O’Brien, a psychology and communications major. Regarding KCCK’s absence in Iowa City O’Brien said, “Someone may be able to say that you’re coming together for a family holiday that usually meet at an aunt’s house and now you’re going to meet at an uncle’s house. It’s already kind of a transition, a lot of people have got to the table, but there’s still one person missing. That’s kind of the vibe.”
According to Green, after an evaluation, the plan is to work in partnership with another radio station to share its tower antenna located in Iowa City. He said KCCK is now working with KZIA, a Cedar Rapids top 40 radio station, which also has a radio antenna in Iowa City, and will pay KZIA a monthly rental fee of approximately $500 to use the antenna.
KZIA’s antenna in Iowa City is located on North Dodge Street which is on higher ground. “This means our 106.9 broadcast will go out further. So, there is a benefit,” said Green.
Before KCCK can resume transmission in Iowa City, it needs Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authorization because of the relocation of the antenna tower, originally located on Lower Muscatine.
Regarding the funding to cover the expenses, Green said the college will use a small amount of the proceeds from the sale of the Iowa City campus and the radio station is also planning to do fundraising activities.
Finally, Green said he hopes to get everything done (the radio antenna tower and the FCC authorization) by the end of the year.
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