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KPRT (AM)

radio station in Kansas City, Missouri

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionFeb 19, 2026
Entity authorityQ6335856
Source-derived summary

KPRT (1590 AM) is an Urban Gospel music-formatted radio station that broadcasts from Kansas City. It is owned by Carter Broadcast Group, owner of sister station and flagship KPRS ("Hot 103 Jamz"). The station's studios are located in South Kansas City, and the transmitter is in the city's East Side.

History

KPRT began operations as KPRS in 1949. The Johnson County Broadcasting Group applied for a license for 1590 kHz on July 1, 1948. In 1949, they sought to move to 1550 kHz with 1,000 watts, but retracted the frequency change request. It would try again to change frequency & boost its power in 1951, to 1380 kHz with 1,000 watts.

Andrew "Skip" Carter began operating KPRS as the nation's first Black radio station west of the Mississippi River although it was still owned by former Kansas governor, Alf Landon. KPRS/1590 debuted as a 500-watt daytimer with a playlist that consisted of R&B and soul. In 1951, KPRS opened its first studio at 12th and Walnut street, Kansas City, Missouri.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “KPRT (AM)” is radio station in Kansas City, Missouri. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through KPRT, radio and station, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewMost useful as a place-based finding aid connecting the present description to earlier jurisdictions, maps and built evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1590, 1949, 1948, 1550—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1950-01-01. For this dossier, KPRT, radio and station is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “radio station in Kansas City, Missouri” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6335856. Authority coordinates are 39.068, -94.536. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1590, 1949, 1948 and 1550.

Critical limits

Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “KPRT (AM)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow KPRT (AM) primary sources, KPRT (AM) archive and KPRT research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “KPRT (AM)”?
  2. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
  3. Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from KPRT (AM)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.