KMOM-AM 1070 Monticello MN Tim Matthews 1982

KMOM is a station with an interesting and checkered history.  It began life in 1982, which was very late for a new AM station.  Monticello is located midway between the Twin Cities and St. Cloud.  The original plan was to have a station which could be heard in both markets and would serve travelers along I-94, the main road which connects these two metropolitan areas.  Problem was, KMOM could not be heard well in either market.  This was especially true during nighttime hours.  As you will hear, the night signal was plagued with co-channel interference, even though I lived just 40 miles from the transmitter.  The other problem was that music radio had pretty much migrated to FM by 1982.  In an area saturated with radio stations, there just wasn’t room for a new standalone AM with a weak signal.  KMOM eventually went dark.  In 1996, the FCC cancelled their license and deleted the allocation. Today, this frequency is being used by KVKK in Verndale, Minnesota.

I captured this from Apple Valley, MN, using a Pioneer SX-3900 receiver and horizontal long wire antenna.  The recording was made on a Technics stereo cassette deck with Scotch Dynarange tape.

KMOM_AM_October_1982

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