Iowa Public Radio has switched two broadcast signals to the 24-hour version of its Alternative service, which was previously only available online.
Studio One began airing on KKSO/88.9 (Mitchellville) and K231DI/94.1 (Des Moines) on Thursday, Aug. 29. Host Cece Mitchell announced the news at the beginning of her show the night before:
Mitchell said that her shift would move to 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and that Studio One will be launching a “brand new sound.”
In an email to IPR members, Music Program Director Al Schares wrote, “We asked Iowans about the music they love and revamped the station to give them more of it. You’ll hear familiar favorites, new music and Iowa artists in a unique blend you can’t find anywhere else, selected each day by Studio One hosts throughout the state.”
Studio One is one of three services provided by IPR but did not previously have a 24-hour broadcast home. It also airs from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. on FM stations that carry IPR News during the day, including WOI-FM/90.1 (Ames-Des Moines).
Program listings indicate the lineup of the new 24-hour service includes a second airing of “World Cafe” from 6 to 8 a.m. (the show also airs on the News and Studio One network at 10 p.m.) The second airing had previously run later in the morning when 24-hour Studio One was an online-only service.
KKSO, formerly KICJ, had previously been one of several signals carrying Classical IPR in central Iowa. Meanwhile, IPR bought K231DI earlier this year and had briefly relayed WOI-FM/90.1 (Ames-Des Moines) on the signal.
While the “SO” in KKSO matches the Studio One format, the KKSO callsign is also a heritage identity in the market. What is now KXNO/1460 (Des Moines) was originally KSO and the KKSO callsign was used on AM 1390, which has since been deleted, until 1990.
There has been no commercial Alternative music outlet in Des Moines since iHeartMedia flipped “Alt 106.3” (KDXA Ankeny) to Sports in 2020. KFMG-LP/98.9 runs an Eclectic Adult Alternative format.