WHO (AM)

WHO
Broadcast areaDes Moines metropolitan area
Frequency1040 kHz
BrandingNewsRadio 1040 WHO
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatNews/talk
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
KCYZ, KDRB, KKDM, KXNO-FM, KXNO, KASI
History
First air date
April 10, 1924; 100 years ago (1924-04-10)
Former frequencies
  • 570 kHz (1924–1927)[1]
  • 560 kHz (1927–1928)
  • 1000 kHz (1928–1941)
[2]
Technical information[3]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID51331
ClassA
Power50,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates
Repeater(s)100.3 KDRB-HD2 (Des Moines)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live (via iHeartRadio)
Websitewhoradio.iheart.com

WHO (1040 kHz "Newsradio 1040") is a commercial AM radio station in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The station is owned by iHeartMedia and carries a conservative news/talk radio format, with studios on Grand Avenue in Des Moines.

WHO broadcasts with 50,000 watts, the maximum power permitted for AM stations in the United States. It uses a non-directional antenna from a transmitter site on 148th Street South in Mitchellville, Iowa.[4] WHO programming is also heard on the second HD Radio digital subchannel of co-owned KDRB (100.3 FM), and the station is Iowa's primary entry point station for the Emergency Alert System.

WHO dates back to the early days of broadcasting and is a Class A clear-channel station. The station is one of only two 50,000-watt AM radio stations in Iowa. The other is KXEL in Waterloo. However, WHO was originally a Class I-A, while KXEL was given Class I-B status, requiring a directional antenna at night, to avoid interfering with the other Class I-B station on 1540, ZNS-1 in Nassau, Bahamas. Due to WHO's high power and Iowa's flat land (with excellent soil conductivity), it has an unusually large daytime coverage area, equivalent to a full-power FM station. It provides at least secondary coverage to almost all of Iowa, as well as parts of Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Wisconsin, Minnesota and South Dakota. At night, it can be heard at night across much of North America with a good radio, but is strongest in the Central United States.

  1. ^ "New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, May 1, 1924, page 3.
  2. ^ "Revised list of broadcasting stations, by frequencies, effective 3 a. m., November 11, 1928, eastern standard time", Second Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission for the Year Ended June 30, 1928, Together With Supplemental Report for the Period From July 1, 1928, to September 30, 1928, page 204.
  3. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WHO". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ^ "WHO-AM 1040 kHz - Des Moines, IA". radio-locator.com.