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Radio broadcasting at the University of Nebraska is nearly as old as the industry itself, beginning in 1924 with one of the state's earliest experimental AM broadcast stations, WFAV. Though WFAV discontinued operation after a few years, the University of Nebraska kept the program going by establishing radio studios and starting coursework in radio broadcasting in 1937.
The move to closed circuit
By 1946, the broadcasting program used a closed circuit radio station called KNU. The prefix K designated a station west of the Mississippi, and the call letters NU stood for Nebraska University. KNU was designed to provide a radio signal to campus living units and fraternity and sorority houses. After a few years, the call letters of this closed circuit station were adjusted to KNUS. KNUS continued operation until 1970. During the station's existence, the University constructed several new high-rise dormitories. These buildings made distribution of the closed circuit radio signal very difficult.
In 1969, a committee of engineers provided by the Nebraska Broadcasters Association suggested that the closed circuit or carrier-current system of KNUS should be replaced by an on-air radio station and the university of Nebraska administration decided to replace the closed circuit operation with such a station. Since it did not extend beyond a limited number of buildings, the closed ciruit operation of KNUS did not require a license from the Federal Communications Commission. In order to operate an over-the-air FM station, it was necessary to apply to the F.C.C. to receive a regular broadcast license. In late 1969, the F.C.C. granted the application by the University to operate the present facilities at 90.3 MHz. The call letters KNUS (for Nebraska University Students), which were used for many years on the closed circuit non-licensed facility, legally were held by a licensed radio station in Texas. Therefore, new call letters were necessary. These new call letters, KRNU, were approved by the F.C.C. in 1970. The call letter K, the prefix for stations west of the Mississippi, was automatically assigned. The other call letters, R-N-U, refer to Radio, Nebraska, and University.
The move to Avery Hall
At the time the station signed on the air in 1970, the studios were located on the third floor of Nebraska Hall. The transmitter and antennas were located on top of Abel Hall directly across the street. In 1972, the studios of KRNU were moved to Avery Hall.
In January of 1987, the station's operating power was increased by the Federal Communications Commission from 10 watts to 100 watts. The station's 10 watt mono transmitter was replaced by 100 watt stereo transmission equipment.
In May, 2000, KRNU began experimenting with providing its program content to a world-wide audience via a real-time streaming audio feed on the stations's web site at http://krnu.unl.edu.
KRNU is operated as a Class A FM station. A Class A station is designed to serve the main city of license and the adjacent area. The primary service area of KRNU is a circular pattern of roughly 20 miles from the Oldfather Hall transmitter location. Within the primary coverage area, there are nearly a quarter of a million residents. This concentration of population allows KRNU to reach a larger potential audience than stations which reach a greater distance but serve less dense population areas.
The station is licensed to the University of Nebraska corporation. The University of Nebraska Board of Regents direct the actions of this corporation.
The three-story building, located a block south of the city campus, provides twice the space available to the Broadcasting Department and 90.3 KRNU in Avery Hall. The building is named Andersen Hall, in honor of the principal donors of the funds used in its purchase - former Omaha World-Herald publisher Harold Andersen and his wife Marian. In addition, the KRNU studio suite is now named in honor of Roy W. Lenwell, the founder of the McCook, Neb., radio stations, through a generous gift from his son and daughter-in-law, Steven and Karolyn Lenwell.
