Two years ago, News Talk 1540 KXEL Waterloo was the first radio station I received from Iowa. But only on the third attempt I was able to get a QSL for my report.

The often heard slogan is “Where Iowa Comes to Talk”:

First taking to the airwaves on July 14, 1942, KXEL made history as the first radio station in the United States to debut with a maximum 50,000-watt clear-channel signal. The reason being that it had to serve the more remote areas of Iowa.

KXEL is one of two Class A stations in Iowa, along with WHO in Des Moines. By day, KXEL has a non-directional signal. But at night, to protect other stations on 1540 AM from interference, it uses a two-tower array. ZNS-1 1540 in Nassau, Bahmas, shares Class A status with KXEL, so KXEL’s nighttime pattern is a cardioid-shaped pattern aimed north.

In its early years, KXEL served as a prominent affiliate of the NBC Blue Network (which later became ABC Radio), delivering news, sports, and entertainment during the Golden Age of Radio. During the 1950s, the station became embroiled in a fierce, high-profile legal battle with rival station KWWL over the licensing rights for Waterloo’s TV Channel 7, a dispute that ultimately ended with KXEL being denied the television license.

Despite transitioning through various music and adult standards formats over the decades, KXEL has retained its powerful clear-channel status. It continues to broadcast today as the place “Where Iowa Comes To Talk”. It is probably also the easiest “K” call sign that you can receive from the Netherlands.

KXEL, over 6900 kilometers, and one of the easier “K” call signs that I am able to receive