KEOM
High school radio station in Mesquite, Texas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
KEOM (88.5 FM) is a non-commercial educational high school radio station based in Mesquite, Texas. It is operated by the Mesquite Independent School District and broadcasts to the greater Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex.
2. Your Community Leader
| |
| |
| Broadcast area | Parts of Dallas, Kaufman, Rockwall, Collin, Hunt, Ellis, Tarrant, and Denton counties |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 88.5 MHz (HD Radio) |
| RDS | 1. KEOM 88.5 2. Your Community Leader |
| Branding | KEOM 88.5 Your Community Leader |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Classic hits (Community) |
| Affiliations | Texas State Network |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Mesquite Independent School District |
| History | |
First air date | September 4, 1984 |
Former frequencies | 88.3 MHz (1984–1992) |
Call sign meaning | Education of Mesquite |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 41307 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 61,000 watts |
| HAAT | 175 meters (574 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 32°45′46″N 96°38′4″W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | keom.fm |
History
The station was founded by Dr. Ralph Poteet, former MISD Superintendent, to present community information in a way not possible via commercial radio stations, and to provide MISD students having interest in radio and communications with hands-on radio experience.[3] The air staff is primarily made up of students from the five high schools in the city taking radio production classes.[4]
The station signed on the air September 4, 1984, on 88.3 FM with 3,000 watts on a 250-foot (76 m) tower.[4] It moved to 88.5 and increased its power to 61,000 watts in 1992 upon the completion of a new 514-foot-tall (157 m) City/School Communications Tower at Mesquite Memorial Stadium.[5]
Programming
KEOM airs live broadcasts of high school sports from MISD schools. The 24-hour station also broadcasts music primarily from the 1970s to the 1990s.[4] KEOM plays the U.S. National Anthem every morning at 7 a.m.
KEOM is one of a few secondary stations containing the North Texas Emergency Alert System that sends messages from primaries WBAP and KSCS.
Comparing KEOM and KSPF, its competitor in the Dallas area, the station contains a more enhanced and larger playlist than KSPF, the other Classic Hits station utilizing significantly more repetitions and having a more power songs-oriented playlist than KEOM.
Awards and honors
The station was named "Best Blast from the Past" in the 2007 Dallas Observer "Best of Dallas" rankings.[6]
Signal
Unlike most of the area's FM stations like competitor KSPF, which transmit their signals from Cedar Hill, KEOM transmits its signal from an area southwest of Mesquite. Its signal is also highly directional, transmitting very little signal directly to the west. Therefore, KEOM's signal is much stronger in most of Dallas County as well as the cities in the eastern portion of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex including Waxahachie, McKinney, and Terrell to as far east as Canton, but is considerably weaker west of DFW.