Omaha's Local Radio Stations (Non-Sports Stations)

[nebugeater]

I heard the afternoon DJ on 101.9 the KEG say that starting next week they will be on Sweet 98. I wonder if that means this is the last week for the KEG before they go to NPR?

Probably a good assumption

[nebugeater]

KFAB has announced that a new 10 AM host will be starting on Thursday.

Jean Stothert will join the on-air local 10 - 11 AM

The show will be called the KFAB comment line and revive that old name from KFAB's past

[S.O.Boy]

KFAB has announced that a new 10 AM host will be starting on Thursday.

Jean Stothert will join the on-air local 10 - 11 AM

The show will be called the KFAB comment line and revive that old name from KFAB's past

No middle ground on callers, I think.

[nebport5]

This should be interesting as she says they won’t screen calls.

[djc311]

Looks like I'll have to keep my Sirius subscription

[nativeomahan]

This should be interesting as she says they won’t screen calls.

That’s a recipe for disaster.

[nebugeater]

Chris Baker had me laugh out loud earlier this morning

He was discussing the lady who got hit by the train and lost much of one arm yesterday, and then tried to drive herself to get medical attention. She stopped before she got to help and called for help.

I will paraphrase as best I can, but Chris basically said in a reporting tone with no emphasis at all on any part

".............She lost most of her arm getting hit by the train, and she tried to drive herself to the hospital but stopped partway there and made a hands-free call seeking help............."

My warped/dry sense of humor had me laugh out loud. Wounder how many listening never even caught the humor.

[bbinks]

Chris Baker had me laugh out loud earlier this morning

He was discussing the lady who got hit by the train and lost much of one arm yesterday, and then tried to drive herself to get medical attention. She stopped before she got to help and called for help.

I will paraphrase as best I can, but Chris basically said in a reporting tone with no emphasis at all on any part

".............She lost most of her arm getting hit by the train, and she tried to drive herself to the hospital but stopped partway there and made a hands-free call seeking help............."

My warped/dry sense of humor had me laugh out loud. Wounder how many listening never even caught the humor.

Good thing she didn't have a manual transmission.

[Ankeny Husker Freak]

Walnut Radio is petitioning the FCC to restore the WOW call sign on AM 590.

https://northpine.com/2026/05/09/waiver ... e_vignette

[nebugeater]

Walnut Radio is petitioning the FCC to restore the WOW call sign on AM 590.

https://northpine.com/2026/05/09/waiver ... e_vignette

I hope they get this approved.

[Brad]

Well, the day has finally come… 101.9 the keg is no more. I believe it actually happened yesterday some point in the afternoon or evening.

[djc311]

Well, the day has finally come… 101.9 the keg is no more. I believe it actually happened yesterday some point in the afternoon or evening.

Terrible... I miss it when it was the Edge... but this new format, whatever it is, is awful. Radio, IMO, in general has not been good in years. Half the shows that are on "local" stations aren't even broadcast out of our area any longer. I have Sirius because I was able to sign up on a smokin' deal for about $3/month so at least I have that...

On an off-the-topic note, one of my daughters who is 23 is starting to get back into CDs. I often see news releases about companies coming out with new CD players (and cassette players, which seems a little odd to me). I always told her that as kids get older they're going to realize not having physical media is going to suck and they would laugh. I truly believe people are starting to grow a bit frustrated with paying for things they don't actually own - granted, I know musicians would argue when you buy a CD it's still only a license to listen to it. However, at least you own something tangible that cannot be disabled (don't get me started on the old DIVX format).

[skinzfan23]

Yeah radio is pretty terrible anymore. I remember listening to, I believe 101.9 in the morning years ago with Crash and Matt Serwe would be on as well. It was great listening to them talk b/c they actually knew things, unlike so many other radio people. So many of them just read scripted things and sound ridiculous.

I also have a pretty good deal on Sirius, I think its $7.50/month for 12 months. I listen to that most of the time and its nice when traveling so you don't have to search for local radio. If they ever raise the rate on you, just call them and after 4-5 attempts on the call of them offering you other rates, they will match your current rate usually.

[Greg S]

The last time I played the game cancellation game with XM they offered me $9.99 per month and it's ongoing. So no more calls every 12 months. I took the deal. It includes Howard Stern (which some of the discount plans in the past didn't include). It's the Music and Entertainment Advantage Plan. Also includes all the sports games (one of the discount packages I got for like $5 per month for a year didn't have a lot of the pro play by play channels).

Greg

[WBR_Tom]

The song-and-dance with XM to get a deal is ridiculous, but at least now you don't have to call and wait on hold once a year to do it -- there's an AI chatbot you can make a deal with. Legitimately might be the best use of AI I've encountered so far. Recently renewed for $60 for the whole year and it took like five minutes.

[TitosBuritoBarn]

I had been a strong believer in local radio up until recently, finding it odd to pay Sirius XM for something that used to be free. But IHeart Radio ruined it. They own too many stations, play waaaaay too many commercials, and have pretty much taken the local essence away from local radio. Plus, I've noticed the same sweepers used by different stations in different cities owned by IHeart Radio. And then of course the music is whatever IHeart Radio wants them to play, so it doesn't vary city to city. The nail in the coffin, though, is that our local alt station decided to add an afternoon talk show, similar to its morning show. So now, during my primary driving times, there is no music. Just uninteresting talk.

The one station I still will tune into local radio for, when I'm in town, is 89.7 The River. The music has updated as new songs are released, but they haven't messed with anything else. It's just how I remember it in high school. Even the DJs are the same. And the songs are unique. The amount of music discovery that occurs for me when I'm in Omaha and tune in to the River is significant.

[skinzfan23]

So 101.9 changed to talk radio? I briefly turned it on this morning on the drive and thats what it seemed. Wonder how long that will last. Can't imagine that many people wanting to listen to that. I work on the phone all day, so the last thing I want to listen to is people talking.

[djc311]

I had been a strong believer in local radio up until recently, finding it odd to pay Sirius XM for something that used to be free. But IHeart Radio ruined it. They own too many stations, play waaaaay too many commercials, and have pretty much taken the local essence away from local radio. Plus, I've noticed the same sweepers used by different stations in different cities owned by IHeart Radio. And then of course the music is whatever IHeart Radio wants them to play, so it doesn't vary city to city. The nail in the coffin, though, is that our local alt station decided to add an afternoon talk show, similar to its morning show. So now, during my primary driving times, there is no music. Just uninteresting talk.

The one station I still will tune into local radio for, when I'm in town, is 89.7 The River. The music has updated as new songs are released, but they haven't messed with anything else. It's just how I remember it in high school. Even the DJs are the same. And the songs are unique. The amount of music discovery that occurs for me when I'm in Omaha and tune in to the River is significant.

I agree - I mean commercials stink regardless, but it's 150% worse with iHeart. Something I find overwhelmingly annoying with iHeart channels is they have censored everything that can possibly be censored. I mean, it's bad... and dumb.

Because of our girls we have Spotify and Amazon for streaming so we can play songs that way, but I like having DJs on occasion and the mix on Sirius is usually pretty good.

Regarding the statement about the AI chatbot with Sirius - that's exactly how I signed up to my current plan. Month to month with a 12-month price lock and I didn't have to talk to a real person. I'd have to say it's the coolest use of AI yet. I was really expecting to be transferred over to someone for retaining customers... nope.

[Brad]

So 101.9 changed to talk radio? I briefly turned it on this morning on the drive and thats what it seemed. Wonder how long that will last. Can't imagine that many people wanting to listen to that. I work on the phone all day, so the last thing I want to listen to is people talking.

Its been mentioned earlier in this thread, they were purchased by NPR (Nebraska Public Media.), so its not going anywhere now. It was announced in February and switched over yesterday.

[HskrFanMike]

Well, the day has finally come… 101.9 the keg is no more. I believe it actually happened yesterday some point in the afternoon or evening.

Just before 4 pm, they queued up REM's "It's the End of the World as We Know it" as a final song. Cut to a bumper and then silence. NPR came on about 4:30 pm after they switched transmitter feeds.

[OverlookedFarm]

My warehouse guys listened to 101.9

I went out there the other day and there was silence. I asked what was going on. and they said "I don't know, it's NPR or something now, we had to turn it off"

[djc311]

My warehouse guys listened to 101.9

I went out there the other day and there was silence. I asked what was going on. and they said "I don't know, it's NPR or something now, we had to turn it off"

No offense to those that enjoy NPR, but it downright sucks. I'm going to need to go through the list of 200 channels of Sirius and set more presets. I tried to listen to a couple of the other "local" channels on the way into work this morning. 94.1 dropped Big Party last year sometime, and unfortunately Jeff and the girl they have not fun to listen to. 98.5 is annoying, 92.3 has zero music and some of the others are syndicated shows from out of the area.

Hey, at least I have 104.5 to look forward to in November when they start playing Christmas music

[nebugeater]

The last time I played the game cancellation game with XM they offered me $9.99 per month and it's ongoing. So no more calls every 12 months. I took the deal. It includes Howard Stern (which some of the discount plans in the past didn't include). It's the Music and Entertainment Advantage Plan. Also includes all the sports games (one of the discount packages I got for like $5 per month for a year didn't have a lot of the pro play by play channels).

Greg

2 1/2 years ago I got sat for my truck renewed. 99 for three years with no auto renewal getting close so will have to see what happens next. With the tax stuff the total was about 120

[Greg S]

The last time I played the game cancellation game with XM they offered me $9.99 per month and it's ongoing. So no more calls every 12 months. I took the deal. It includes Howard Stern (which some of the discount plans in the past didn't include). It's the Music and Entertainment Advantage Plan. Also includes all the sports games (one of the discount packages I got for like $5 per month for a year didn't have a lot of the pro play by play channels).

Greg

2 1/2 years ago I got sat for my truck renewed. 99 for three years with no auto renewal getting close so will have to see what happens next. With the tax stuff the total was about 120

Yeah that's essentially now what I am paying per month. Feel free to quote my deal to them. I looked it up online to confirm.

[nativeomahan]

Other than NPR I don’t listen to over the air radio. And I don’t miss it one bit. Life is too short to be forced to hear 10 commercials per hour.

[Ankeny Husker Freak]

FCC has approved Walnut Media's purchase of the AM 590 frequency.

https://northpine.com/2026/06/22/fcc-mo ... o-off-air/

[nebugeater]

IhardMedia is doing another round of layoffs just announced as restructuring.

have not seen what that means for KFAB yet, but I am sure there will be some people both in front and behind the mic missing

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/busin ... YS5nZdA_GQ

EDIT
Looks like their Des Moines stations got hit hard.

[Ankeny Husker Freak]

IhardMedia is doing another round of layoffs just announced as restructuring.

have not seen what that means for KFAB yet, but I am sure there will be some people both in front and behind the mic missing

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/busin ... YS5nZdA_GQ

Des Moines' KXNO daily sports talk line up were all let go yesterday, the mid day show bought their own airtime and they survive.

https://radioinsight.com/headlines/3601 ... oon-shows/

[nebugeater]

Looks like on the non-sports Des Moines market, Emery Songer is out

https://radioinsight.com/headlines/3601 ... oing-cuts/

Des Moines IA
Emery Songer departs his role as 9-11am host at News/Talk 1040 WHO and 600 WMT Cedar Rapids. Songer originally joined WHO in 2018 as morning show producer. He would move to Omaha in 2023 to host afternoons at 1110 KFAB until earlier this year. He would begin his current “Emery On Iowa” program on WHO and WMT in August 2024. He shared, “Dear friends, today marks the end of my time as a host for iHeartMedia. It’s been an unbelievable journey and I’m incredibly grateful. I had the opportunity to try things I never imagined I’d get to do. I’ll never forget the experience of rubbing shoulders with broadcasting legends and meeting incredible people in Des Moines, Omaha, and beyond. Thank you to everyone who helped me along the way at 1040 WHO, including Van Harden, Bonnie Lucas, Amy Sweet, Max Schaeffer, Jeff Angelo, Bob Quinn, Simon Conway, Nathan Fischer, and so many others. The same goes for the producers, sales staff, and my endorsement partners across every station I’ve been fortunate enough to call home. I’m excited to see what’s next and look forward to continuing to tell stories, connect with communities, and build new relationships. Most of all, thank you to everyone who listened, supported me, and encouraged me over the years. I’ll still be around, enjoying as much of this life as humanly possible.”

[OmahaRedWing]

Looks like on the non-sports Des Moines market, Emery Songer is out

https://radioinsight.com/headlines/3601 ... oing-cuts/

Des Moines IA
Emery Songer departs his role as 9-11am host at News/Talk 1040 WHO and 600 WMT Cedar Rapids. Songer originally joined WHO in 2018 as morning show producer. He would move to Omaha in 2023 to host afternoons at 1110 KFAB until earlier this year. He would begin his current “Emery On Iowa” program on WHO and WMT in August 2024. He shared, “Dear friends, today marks the end of my time as a host for iHeartMedia. It’s been an unbelievable journey and I’m incredibly grateful. I had the opportunity to try things I never imagined I’d get to do. I’ll never forget the experience of rubbing shoulders with broadcasting legends and meeting incredible people in Des Moines, Omaha, and beyond. Thank you to everyone who helped me along the way at 1040 WHO, including Van Harden, Bonnie Lucas, Amy Sweet, Max Schaeffer, Jeff Angelo, Bob Quinn, Simon Conway, Nathan Fischer, and so many others. The same goes for the producers, sales staff, and my endorsement partners across every station I’ve been fortunate enough to call home. I’m excited to see what’s next and look forward to continuing to tell stories, connect with communities, and build new relationships. Most of all, thank you to everyone who listened, supported me, and encouraged me over the years. I’ll still be around, enjoying as much of this life as humanly possible.”

Interesting. I didn't think he was a good fit for the core KFAB audience. He didn't attack and ridicule the left like the rest of their hosts due. He acknowledged that it's OK to feel differently. He took a more conversational tone.

[nebugeater]

FCC has approved Walnut Media's purchase of the AM 590 frequency.

https://northpine.com/2026/06/22/fcc-mo ... o-off-air/

I just finally looked at the link. I see that the request to reinstate the WOW Call sign is still pending. To me, that is a good sign, and it was not flat-out denied when the transfer was made. Of course, that only matters if you are like me and want to see the WOW brand again.

[jag42]

IhardMedia is doing another round of layoffs just announced as restructuring.

have not seen what that means for KFAB yet, but I am sure there will be some people both in front and behind the mic missing

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/busin ... YS5nZdA_GQ

EDIT
Looks like their Des Moines stations got hit hard.

Plenty of money for IHeart music festivals and crappy national morning shows like 99.9 KGOR has (who seem to repeat segments over and over).

[nebugeater]

IhardMedia is doing another round of layoffs just announced as restructuring.

have not seen what that means for KFAB yet, but I am sure there will be some people both in front and behind the mic missing

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/busin ... YS5nZdA_GQ

EDIT
Looks like their Des Moines stations got hit hard.

Plenty of money for IHeart music festivals and crappy national morning shows like 99.9 KGOR has (who seem to repeat segments over and over).

It's all about to heck with local and syndicated programming across multiple stations


IT does look like the Omaha market was spared......... this time

[jag42]

IhardMedia is doing another round of layoffs just announced as restructuring.

have not seen what that means for KFAB yet, but I am sure there will be some people both in front and behind the mic missing

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/busin ... YS5nZdA_GQ

EDIT
Looks like their Des Moines stations got hit hard.

Plenty of money for IHeart music festivals and crappy national morning shows like 99.9 KGOR has (who seem to repeat segments over and over).

It's all about to heck with local and syndicated programming across multiple stations


IT does look like the Omaha market was spared......... this time

Markets affected listed in alphabetical order:
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/3601 ... oing-cuts/

[Greg S]

Radio, TV (especially Cable and Satellite), along with newspapers has just been a rough business for years and is getting worse even worse because of streaming and apps.

[nativeomahan]

Radio, TV (especially Cable and Satellite), along with newspapers has just been a rough business for years and is getting worse even worse because of streaming and apps.

Yes I totally agree. The landscape that existed in the year 2000 or even 2010 isn’t the reality we live in today. I’m an old fogie but even I made the switch, first to satellite radio maybe 15 years ago, then added streaming music services beginning about 10 years ago. While we have Direct TV in Omaha it’s mostly for the benefit of my husband, as other than an hour or so per day of local news I utilize YouTube, Netflix, HBO-Max, Tubi and maybe a dozen other free streaming services when I watch TV. That also what we use in Mexico. I don’t miss cable TV. And as to print media, the few magazines we subscribe to basically sit unread, and as for the World-Herald, it’s like purchasing a subscription ticket on the Titanic. Not saying whether the changes are good or bad. It’s just the way it is.

[nebugeater]

Radio, TV (especially Cable and Satellite), along with newspapers has just been a rough business for years and is getting worse even worse because of streaming and apps.

Yes I totally agree. The landscape that existed in the year 2000 or even 2010 isn’t the reality we live in today. I’m an old fogie but even I made the switch, first to satellite radio maybe 15 years ago, then added streaming music services beginning about 10 years ago. While we have Direct TV in Omaha it’s mostly for the benefit of my husband, as other than an hour or so per day of local news I utilize YouTube, Netflix, HBO-Max, Tubi and maybe a dozen other free streaming services when I watch TV. That also what we use in Mexico. I don’t miss cable TV. And as to print media, the few magazines we subscribe to basically sit unread, and as for the World-Herald, it’s like purchasing a subscription ticket on the Titanic. Not saying whether the changes are good or bad. It’s just the way it is.

While I agree with much of what has been mentioned here. There is another big factor, especially when it comes to radio and AM radio. For the most part, local is not local anymore. Even when there are local on-air people, there is very little local coverage other than opinion, and that only goes so far.

[djc311]

"Local" radio stations have continued to go down hill for years... I'm guessing streaming probably hurt them more than Sirius, as I feel younger generations don't want to hear anyone talk at all, LOL.

I enjoy Sirius and it's relatively cheap at $4/month.

Somewhat off topic but a bit relevant is that people are starting to get very frustrated with the digital-only age. Case in point, I read that Sony/Playstation is going to go in and wipe movies off of people's playlists that they "bought" because they're losing the licensing rights. I've been a huge advocate for physical media for years, and people laugh at me all the time for it. Technically, if you buy a DVD they argue that you don't own the movie. However, it's a lot more difficult for someone to lock a disc than a downloaded file. And when someone tried to do that (the original DIVX format was supposed to be a 2-3 day watch window before it stopped working), it was shot down real quick and failed.

With the Sony thing, I read people will lose Terminator 2, Rambo, and several other major films. People are going to start opening up stores to sell physical media again and it will probably get ridiculously expensive because of the nonsense these studios pull. I was at Target the other day and I saw one end cap in the electronics section with CDs on it. IMO, that's quite sad when we used to have stores dedicated to selling only media.

OK, off my soapbox.

[Toto]

I find it funny that IHeart advertises they have real people and no AI when, in realty their ultimate goal would be no people.

[nativeomahan]

I believe that IHeart is international in scope. They have quite a presence in Mexico. I have no idea if their non U.S. holdings are suffering the same type of cuts as what’s going on in the US.