KSO, Iowa’s other three-letter AM station starting with a K, debuted Nov. 2, 1925. The Berry Seed Co. of Clarinda had specifically applied for the letters: “Keep Serving Others.” The following articles are from the Clarinda Journal in 1932, which became the Clarinda Herald-Journal at the start of 1933.
New manager at KSO takes over station (March 10)
L.H. Greer of Des Moines is now in Clarinda, as director of KSO, the local broadcasting station of the Iowa Broadcasting Co. Mr. Greer, who succeeds Morton R. Duff, has been chief engineer for several radio stations, and was the engineer in charge of reinstallation here several months ago when the KSO equipment was revamped. He states that he will soon announce reorganization plans which will include important personnel changes, and contemplates more localizing of programs.
KSO hearing in September (July 14)
The federal radio commission will not hand down their decision on KSO’s petition to move from Clarinda to Des Moines until September, according to dispatches from Washington news headquarters. The hearing of the Iowa Broadcasting Co., the Register and Tribune subsidiary company, was given July 7th. [KSO had signed off June 24.]
Will dismantle KSO radio tower (August 11)
Engineer L.H. Greer dropped into Clarinda from Des Moines Wednesday with A.J. Newman, structural engineer with the Newman Construction Co. of Des Moines, to survey the possibilities of salvaging the tower in case the federal radio commission gives their final approval to move the local KSO station to Des Moines. The transmitter was found to be too big for Des Moines, an thus it will be disposed of, either dismantled or sold to someone else who might be able to use it.
“Reorganization plans” indeed, eh? For way more details on KSO, see this page from the Des Moines Broadcasting website. The radio waves get crossed, so to speak, in 1935, when KSO was renamed KRNT, for the Des Moines Register ‘n’ Tribune. The KSO letters were moved to KWCR, a Cedar Rapids station whose license was relocated to Des Moines after its acquisition by Iowa Broadcasting. That KSO, after a series of ownership and call letter changes, is now KXNO 1460 AM, a sports-talk station in Des Moines.