History
Previously using the call letters KMRA, KMRI, KISU, KPGY, and KUSR; KURE was established in the mid-1990s. In addition to being student-managed and student-produced, KURE is also funded by students at Iowa State University through the Government of the Student Body. KURE has always been staffed entirely by volunteer students.
According to the station's board of directors, KURE got its start as KMRA, broadcasting out of a Friley dorm room on 640 AM, on Oct. 17, 1949. Friley residents Cedric Curin, Chuck Hawley and Maurice Voland founded the station with two turntables, a small transmitter and a public address system.
Powered by one quarter of a watt, the signal was only able to provide Friley Hall with entertainment. A boost to 50 watts and implementation of the carrier current method allowed the station to use local power lines as its broadcast antennas and make its programming audible across all of campus.
In 1950, KMRA became KMRI. In 1961, KMRI became KISU. KISU applied for new call letters and in 1970 was given them—KPGY.
1969 brought the station to its current location in the basement of Friley, and the jump to the FM band was made in 1970. The initial frequency was 91.9 with a call of KPGY, "The Big Pig in the Sky". The FCC mandated a change to 91.5, 200 watts, and KUSR in the early 1980s to realign it to the non-commercial frequencies of the FM band. KUSR suspended broadcast operations Nov. 1, 1995, due to complications with its license.
The station now provides coverage to all of Ames as KURE 88.5 FM and has plans to expand its range further in the future.
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