If you are traveling around the upper Midwest, particularly at night, and are getting a bit homesick, there is always an easy respite.
All you must do it turn your radio over to the AM dial, and find 880, KRVN.
Growing up, I had never heard of KRVN. Like most kids, I rarely flipped over to the AM dial for anything. However, after moving to Elm Creek, I soon learned that there was a bit of power in that signal, and it became my base station on that side of the radio, a habit that I continue to operate with to this day.
Over the years, particularly when talking to truck drivers in my hometown of Palmer, I have heard stories of long, over-the-road trips when the guys would see just how far they could go before losing the signal from the central part of the plains. While I have never tested the 880’s signal, I am always glad to know that when I need something to listen to, especially sports, that station is only a click or two away on the radio dial.
In 2023, United States Senator Deb Fischer was in St. Paul for a meeting across the street from our office, and as a part of her trip to Howard County, she asked if the newspaper wanted to sit down with an interview. We gladly agreed, at which point her staff provided us with an overview of some of the legislation she was working on.
Among the items that it was suggested we could discuss was a bill Fischer helped to introduce: The AM In Every Vehicle Act.
As a resident of the Nebraska sandhills, I wasn’t surprised to see that one of Nebraska’s senators was a sponsor of the bill. In fact, I was curious about, while fighting for the legislation, which station she tunes into on the AM dial.
During our interview, I had a chance to ask her just that.
While I secretly hoped that her answer would be KRVN in Lexington—her mentioning a central Nebraska station would have fit perfectly into our coverage of her visit to the middle part of the state—she instead noted that she usually tunes into KFAB, another goliath on the AM dial in the Cornhusker State.
Even though I now know that the senator likely won’t have a chance to win on Monogram Money, our interview was a welcomed reminder that our representatives in Washington continue to fight for issues that do impact Nebraskans.
Almost two years later, the fight continues in Congress to require automakers to keep AM radios in cars. That fight also appears to include language that would require that the service is provided at no additional charge to the consumer.
If you have made it this far in this column, there is a good chance that you are wondering why the publisher of your hometown newspaper— the best form of information, if I do say so myself— is concerned about the future of AM radio in American automobiles.
Well, in addition to the fact that I want to make sure that I can still tune into area sports—I can always find the Creighton Bluejays on 1620 when I am on the road on Saturdays—the truth is that AM radio, like public notices published in our newspapers, is a public trust.
Somewhat historically— if we are to the point that 1964 is now historic—Genie Chance became famous when she broadcasted news of the 1964 Alaska Earthquake in Anchorage to the world. Chance’s reporting not only helped disperse important information to residents of Anchorage but also became a lifeline for residents to let their family members, friends, and neighbors who were presumably listening to know of their whereabouts and their condition.
The tale of Chance’s work inside the Anchorage Police Station on Good Friday in 1964 was recently mirrored in western North Carolina. Following Hurricane Helene, AM radio became a lifesaver, a role that was highlighted by a CBS Evening News’s “Eye on America” segment last year.
Following the hurricane, with power and cell phone service decimated, radio personalities in Asheville and beyond became a “Godsend” to residents in that area.
I know that, if you are anything like me, you probably only think about the AM band on your radio when you are searching for a specific ball game to listen to or want to tune in to hear your favorite radio personality while driving to work.
However, the truth of the matter is that, like public notices in newspapers, having AM radio in vehicles can be an important tool when we are searching for information the most.
Of course, that band and the stations that call it home can also be the site for countless hours of entertainment and news, a fact I discovered last week while rolling down the road and rotating that dial.
