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Des Moines, Iowa
KDRB - 100.3 The Bus
Clear Channel made its move into the Variety Hits game at 11 a.m. on April 1, 2005, as it flipped hip-hop 106.3 The Beat to Variety Hits as 106.3 The Bus. The station stunted for six hours before the change, which Billboard reports featured Weird Al Yankovic's "Another One Rides The Bus". The station's first song as 106.3 The Bus was "Magic Bus" by The Who.
According to CC Regional VP J.J. Cook, the station plays music from a wider timespan (from the '50s to today) and is targeted more toward a male audience than the Jack FM and Bob FM stations.
Clear Channel went so far as to create a fake ad campaign about a new, free 24/7 bus service for Des Moines and sent PSAs (Public Service Announcements) to other stations in town. It's unclear if any of those other stations actually played the PSAs, though the other Clear Channel stations in the market did. CC even created the website FreeBusRide.com to promote the service.
The "free bus" gimmick appears to have been a one-off fake promotion, but for the record here are the other cities that were listed on FreeBusRide.com: Rockford, IL; Madison, WI; Wichita, KS; Colorado Springs, CO; Austin, TX; and Springfield, MO.
In late June 2005, KDRB hired John McKeighan to take the Program Director job at the station.
On May 25, 2006, The Bus became a double-decker, beginning a simulcast on 100.3 KMXD, which had been known as "My 100.3" with a Hot AC format.
The simulcast was temporary, allowing listeners to become familiar with the new, stronger frequency 100.3 for The Bus (100kw with a 76 mile broadcast radius, providing city-grade coverage to towns like Ames, Iowa Falls, and Marshaltown.)
The simulcast ended on June 12, 2006, with 106.3 becoming AAA as 106.3 The Capital. In an odd move, Clear Channel picked up new call letters KPTL on June 17, 2006, but put them on 100.3. They finally switched the KPTL and KDRB calls to their respective new homes on June 26, 2006.
Station Website: 1003thebus.com
Streaming Audio: Available via the website
Special Audio: KDRB Legal ID (TopHour.com)
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© Copyright 2005-2024 Lou Pickney. All Rights Reserved.
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