On this day in 1962, the dream of Bill Thornton and his brother, Jerry, became a reality as Bates County Broadcasting powered up and launched its first broadcast on KMAM 1530 AM
KMAM, which stands for Keep Mid America Moving, covers 8 counties across two states, Bates, Cass, Henry, Vernon, St. Clair, and Johnson counties in Missouri, and Linn and Miami counties in Kansas. At that time, AM stations were only allowed to broadcast from sunrise to sunset and that rule still holds for KMAM.
Since that day in 1962, Bates County Broadcasting has expanded to include an FM frequency on 92.1 that airs 24 hours a day.
Bates County Broadcasting is still owned by the Thornton family, Bill’s oldest daughter, Melody Thornton, now owns and operates this iconic local business.
Melody Thornton and the staff (past and present) of KMAM KMOE thank you for your years of loyalty, as listeners and advertisers. We hope to be here in the years to come, serving our listeners and the communities we cover.
