Ingstad Media’s KRVY/97.3 (Starbuck) has transitioned from Adult Contemporary to Rock Variety Hits as “97.3 The Kangaroo.”
The change happened Thursday, Dec. 26, after nearly two months of all-Christmas music that came with a promise of a gift after the holiday.
The “Kangaroo” playlist is positioned on its website as “true variety from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and more.” It’s heavy on Classic Hits and Classic Rock and also includes a few songs from recent years, with an Australian-accented imaging voice:
KRVY had been AC as “The River” since it signed on in 2000. The station is owned by Tor Ingstad’s Iowa City Broadcasting.
KRVY provides a rimshot signal to Willmar, Alexandria, and Morris. It’s operated alongside Ingstad’s KDJS/1590 and KDJS-FM/95.3 (Willmar), the former of which recently switched from Classic Country to Conservative Talk with the launch of new FM translator K289CO/105.7. KDJS-FM carries Country.
Ingstad also owns a pair of stations in Morris, Full Service outlet KMRS/1230 and Country station KKOK/95.7.
“The Kangaroo” competes with several existing Classic Rock and Classic Hits stations in the Willmar and Alexandria areas, while the change cedes the pop audience to Hot AC stations in the two cities.