“When you need to know, it’s Eleven-Four-Oh, K-S-O-O!” This was the positioning statement for one of South Dakota’s biggest radio stations during the summer of 1983. On this aircheck, you’ll hear the famous 60 second “We’re South Dakota Eleven-Four-Oh, K-S-O-O” singing jingle. Plus, a customized promo for Ray Durkee’s “Sunday at the Memories”, a very popular program. Mark Heinssen was the announcer on duty on the night this recording was made.
This was received at my grandparents’ house in Michigan, North Dakota. I was too far away to hear KSOO during the daytime. But at night, they switched to a directional pattern which beamed the signal north. This gave them a strong signal across northeastern North Dakota, although with some skywave fading as you would expect. Equipment used was a Pioneer AM/FM/cassette portable unit with a TDK D90 tape.
Sadly, Mark Heinssen passed away unexpectedly in May, 2013. He was just 48 years old.