KURE (Radio Station : Ames, Iowa)

The first student-run radio station at Iowa State University was KMRA, which began broadcasting out of a dorm room in Friley Hall in 1949. KMRA was founded by Cedric Currin, Chuck Hawley, and Maurice Voland and operated out of Currin's room, 5526 Friley Hall, Niles House. The original equipment was two turntables, a small transmitter, and a public address system. The men worked with the residence hall directors and WOI radio to make their dream a possibility by starting to braodcast at 5 pm, after WOI went off the air, and used a thermo-stabilized crystal to broadcast at a frequency of 640. Originally, sound was transmitted through Friley Hall's water pipes.

KMRA later moved to a broom closet in Bennett House, but was only there for a short while because of the inadequate space and the constant ringing of the hall telephone that was located near the closet. From there, KMRA moved to a basement room in Stange House, then to the kitchenette across from the Main Lounge in North Friely. In 1950, KMRA became KMRI. The KMRI staff worked to improve their programming and equipment, with the result that their signal became stronger -- so strong, in fact, that people several miles from Friley tuned in and heard a basketbakk game, prompting the FCC to shut KMRI down until KMRI's equipment was able to contain their broadcasts. This shut-down was short, as KMRI was becoming more and more popular and plans were made to include a KMRI annex in the plans of the 1951 Friley Hall addition.

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