KHAK

Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Broadcast area	Cedar Rapids-Iowa City
Frequency	98.1 MHz
Branding	98.1 KHAK (pronounced as K-Hawk)
Programming
Format	Country
Affiliations	Compass Media Networks Westwood One
Ownership
Owner	Townsquare Media (Townsquare License, LLC)
Sister stations	KRNA, KDAT
History
First air date	September 10, 1961
Call sign meaning	"K-Hawk" (reference to Iowa's nickname as the Hawkeye State, and concurrently University of Iowa athletics)
Technical information
Facility ID	54163
Class	C1
ERP	100,000 watts
HAAT	140 meters
Transmitter coordinates	41°55′28″N 91°36′55″W / 41.92444°N 91.61528°W / 41.92444; -91.61528
Links
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	khak.com

KHAK (98.1 FM) is a radio station that broadcasts a country music format to the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City, Iowa area. Licensed to Cedar Rapids, the station is currently owned by Townsquare Media. KHAK's studios are located in the Alliant Energy Building on Second Street SE in Cedar Rapids, and its transmitter is located near US-30/US-151 and Ivanhoe Road on the south side of Cedar Rapids.

History

KHAK is one of the top-ranked radio stations in the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City Market. It is based in the Cedar Rapids Market, but it is heard in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls and Quad Cities markets as well in spots. Townsquare Media is the owner of the station, as well as its sister stations KRNA, KRQN, and KDAT.

The Cedar Rapids allocation for 98.1 FM signed on in 1961, alongside its AM sister station at 1360 AM, both taking on the call letters KHAK. Both stations formatted country music—although not exclusively until sometime later in the 1960s—and for many years the FM signal duplicated from the AM frequency. University of Iowa athletics were also a mainstay for many years. This setup continued for many years, until some point in the mid-1990s when KHAK (AM) changed its format to contemporary Christian as KTOF, and was a simulcast of KWOF in Hiawatha, Iowa;^[1] KHAK-FM's country format remains to this day.

On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in which Townsquare Media would acquire 53 Cumulus Media stations, including KHAK, for $238 million. The deal is part of Cumulus' acquisition of Dial Global; Townsquare and Dial Global are both controlled by Oaktree Capital Management.^[2][3] The sale to Townsquare was completed on November 14, 2013.^[4]