On February 1, 1947, an application for KIRX was filed with the Federal Communications Commission by North Missouri Broadcasting Company, a group consisting of U.S.

Office, studio, and tower construction had already begun in anticipation of the authorization, so KIRX was ready to begin broadcasting at noon on October 17, 1947.

[2] The early days of KIRX featured many music and interview programs broadcast live from the studios, along with local high school and college sports by remote.

One early program that survives to this day is 'Party Line', a 6-day per week call-in show where community members can buy, sell, or trade items.

During the 1950s and 1960s most local music programming gave way to the 'stacks of wax', 45's and LP's featuring a wide variety of singers and bands, often left to the discretion of the DJ.