KEOM

{{short description|High school radio station in Mesquite, Texas}}

{{Infobox radio station

| name = KEOM

| logo = KEOM logo.png

| logo_size = 200px

| city = Mesquite, Texas

| area = Parts of Dallas, Kaufman, Rockwall, Collin, Hunt, Ellis, and Tarrant counties

| branding = Your Community Leader

| frequency = 88.5 MHz {{HD Radio}}

| airdate = September 4, 1984 (at 88.3)

| format = Classic hits (Community)

| language = English

| erp = 61,000 watts

| haat = {{convert|175|m|sp=us}}

| class = C1

| facility_id = 41307

| coordinates = {{coord|32|45|46|N|96|38|4|W|region:US-TX_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

| callsign_meaning = Education of Mesquite{{cite web|first=Bob |last=Nelson |url=http://nelson.oldradio.com/origins.call-list.html |title=Radio/TV Station Call Letter Origins #241 |work=Radio History on the Web |date=September 4, 2009 |access-date=September 5, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160218013408/http://nelson.oldradio.com/origins.call-list.html |archive-date=February 18, 2016 }}

| former_callsigns =

| former_frequencies = 88.3 MHz (1984–1992)

| affiliations = Texas State Network

| owner = Mesquite Independent School District

| licensee =

| sister_stations =

| webcast = [https://player.amperwave.net/4398 Listen Live]

| website = [https://www.keom.fm keom.fm]

}}

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.

KEOM broadcasts in HD Radio.http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=10 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123032523/http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=10 |date=2015-11-23 }} HD Radio Guide for Dallas-Ft. Worth

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.{{cite news |first=Wade |last=Goodwyn |work=All Things Considered |title=High School DJs Dial Dallas Back To The 1970s |publisher=National Public Radio |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113167425 |date=September 28, 2009 |access-date=September 30, 2009}} The air staff is primarily made up of students from the five high schools in the city taking radio production classes.{{cite news |first=Avi |last=Selk |work=The Dallas Morning News |title=At 25, Mesquite schools' radio station is older than its student DJs |url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/090509dnmetkeom.3ffab85.html |date=September 4, 2009 |access-date=September 5, 2009}}

The station signed on the air September 4, 1984, on 88.3 FM with 3,000 watts on a {{convert|250|ft|m|adj=on}} tower. It moved to 88.5 and increased its power to 61,000 watts in 1992 upon the completion of a new {{convert|514|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} City/School Communications Tower at Mesquite Memorial Stadium.{{cite web |publisher=KEOM |title=KEOM History |url=http://www.keom.fm/history.html |access-date=2008-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080506204046/http://www.keom.fm/history.html |archive-date=2008-05-06 |url-status=dead }}

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. 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.{{cite news |work=Dallas Observer |title=Best Blast from the Past |url=http://www.dallasobserver.com/bestof/2007/award/best-blast-from-the-past-747547/ |access-date=September 30, 2009}}

Signal

Unlike most of the area's FM stations like competitor KSPF, which transmit their signals from Cedar Hill,{{Cite web|title=RadioLocator.com/KLUV|url=https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/finder?sr=Y&s=C&call=kluv&nav=}} 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.