# KLEM

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For the 2023 Dutch film, see [Klem (film)](/source/Klem_(film)).

Radio station in Le Mars, Iowa, United States

KLEM Le Mars, Iowa United States Broadcast area Sioux City, Iowa Frequency 1410 kHz Branding KLEM 1410 AM 96.9 FM Programming Format Classic hits Ownership Owner Powell Broadcasting Company, L.L.C. Sister stations KSUX, KKYY, KQNU, KKMA, KSCJ History First air date September 21, 1954 (1954-09-21)[1] Call sign meaning Le Mars Technical information[2] Licensing authority FCC Facility ID 32998 Class B Power 1,000 watts (day) 50 watts (night) Transmitter coordinates 42°49′04″N 96°09′47″W / 42.81778°N 96.16306°W / 42.81778; -96.16306 Translator 96.9 K245AM (Le Mars) Links Public license information Public file LMS Webcast Listen live Website klem1410.com

**KLEM** (1410 [AM](/source/AM_broadcasting)) is a [radio station](/source/Radio_station) licensed to serve [Le Mars, Iowa](/source/Le_Mars%2C_Iowa). The station is owned by Powell Broadcasting Company, L.L.C. It airs a [classic hits](/source/Classic_hits) music format.[3]

## History

KLEM was established by Bob McKune and officially signed on the air on October 12, 1954.[4] The station was built to serve as the primary local voice for Plymouth County, focusing on "live and local" programming that included high school athletics and agricultural news. In July 1961, the station was sold to Paul and Patty Olson, who operated it for nearly four decades.[5][*[dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*] Ownership transferred to the Powell Broadcasting Company in 1999, which integrated KLEM into a regional cluster of stations serving the Siouxland area.[6]

The KLEM transmitter site is located near the [Floyd River](/source/Floyd_River), making the station's physical infrastructure highly susceptible to seasonal flooding. Historical river crests have repeatedly compromised the station's AM signal. In September 2018, the Floyd River crested at 25 feet, surrounding the transmitter tower and forcing the station to cut power to the AM equipment to avoid catastrophic electrical failure.[7] In June 2024, the region experienced a "500-year" flood event where the Floyd River reached a record stage of 29 feet at Le Mars.[8] The flooding submerged the transmitter site, leading to a prolonged outage of the 1410 AM signal. During the recovery period, KLEM filed for [Special Temporary Authority](/source/Special_Temporary_Authority) (STA) with the FCC to operate at a reduced power while the water-damaged components were replaced.[9]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Official Opening Day Of Radio KLEM Today"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/le-mars-globe-post-official-opening-day/181788186/). *Le Mars Globe-Post*. Le Mars, Iowa. September 23, 1954. p. 1. Retrieved September 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FCC-LMS-32998_2-0)** ["Facility Technical Data for KLEM"](https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/publicFacilityTechDetails.html?facilityId=32998). *Licensing and Management System*. [Federal Communications Commission](/source/Federal_Communications_Commission).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Winter 2008 Station Information Profile"](http://www1.arbitron.com/sip/displaySip.do?srvy_id=WI08&surveyID=WI08&band=am&callLetter=KLEM). *Arbitron*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["History of Le Mars Radio"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Station-Albums/KLEM-Le-Mars-Iowa.pdf) (PDF). World Radio History. Retrieved January 1, 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["AM History Cards for KLEM"](https://apps.fcc.gov/pub/Media/Radio_History_Cards/AM/KLEM.pdf) (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved January 1, 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Upper Midwest Broadcasting: Iowa Archive"](https://northpine.com/iowa/). NorthPine. Retrieved January 1, 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Floyd River Flood Impacts Broadcast Infrastructure"](https://www.lemarssentinel.com/). Le Mars Sentinel. Retrieved January 1, 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["National Weather Service: Floyd River at Le Mars Flood Data"](https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=fsd&gage=lmri4). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 1, 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["2024 Archive - FCC Monitor"](https://iowamedianews.com/no-title-3/). Iowa Media News. Retrieved January 1, 2026.

## External links

- [KLEM official website](http://www.klem1410.com/)

- [Facility details for Facility ID 32998 (KLEM)](https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/publicFacilityDetails.html?facilityId=32998) in the [FCC](/source/Federal_Communications_Commission) Licensing and Management System

- [KLEM](https://www1.arbitron.com/sip/displaySip.do?surveyID=SP26&band=am&callLetter=KLEM) in [Nielsen Audio](/source/Nielsen_Audio)'s AM station database

- [Facility details for Facility ID 152251 (K245AM)](https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/publicFacilityDetails.html?facilityId=152251) in the [FCC](/source/Federal_Communications_Commission) Licensing and Management System

- [K245AM](https://fccdata.org/?facid=&call=K245AM&ccode=1&city=&state=&country=US&zip=&arn=&party=&lmspf=&lmspl=&party_type=LICEN&latd=&lond=&lang=en) at FCCdata.org

- [FCC History Cards for KLEM](https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=42128)

v t e Radio stations in the Sioux City metropolitan area (Iowa/South Dakota) By AM frequency 570 620 840 1250 1360 1410 1470 By FM frequency 90.3 91.3 92.9 95.5 97.9 99.5 101.3 102.3 103.3 104.1 105.7 107.1 107.5 Translators 91.9 94.9 95.9 96.9 98.7 100.1 104.5 Digital radio by frequency & subchannel 104.1-1 104.1-2 By call sign K220HO K235CA K240DE K254DL K245AM K261DY K283AG KAYA KGLI KILV KKMA KKYY KLEM KMNS KMSC KQNU KSCJ KSEZ KSFT-FM KSUX KTFC KTIC KWIT KWSL KZOI WNAX WNAX-FM HD2 Nearby regions Fort Dodge Northeast Nebraska Omaha–Council Bluffs Sioux Falls Southwest Minnesota Yankton–Vermillion See also List of radio stations in Iowa List of radio stations in South Dakota

v t e Classic Hits radio stations in Iowa By frequency 740 1220 1380 1380 1450 1510 1520 92.1 93.3 93.3 95.3 95.3 95.7 95.9 97.7 102.7 104.7 105.3 105.7 106.1 106.1 106.5 106.9 107.1 By callsign KCHE-FM KHBT KCII KCII-FM KCIM KCQQ KIFG KIFG-FM KIOA KIYX KKFD-FM KMRY KMZN KNOD KOKX KOKZ KQMG KQMG-FM KRQN KSIB KSWI KUDV KVIK KYTC By city Atlantic Bloomfield Carroll Cedar Rapids Cherokee Creston Davenport Decorah Des Moines Fairfield Harlan Humboldt Independence Independence Iowa Falls (KIFG) Iowa Falls (KIFG-FM) Keokuk Northwood Oskaloosa Sageville Vinton Waterloo Washington See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in Iowa See also Oldies Classic Hits

This article about a radio station in Iowa is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

- [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Iowa-radio-station-stub)
- [t](/source/Template_talk%3AIowa-radio-station-stub)
- [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Iowa-radio-station-stub)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [KLEM](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KLEM) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KLEM?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.