The Mighty 1290 KOIL

I was raised on radio and — at 13-years-old — I worked on the radio over the next decade of my life.

One of the brightest lights of my radio upbringing happened late at night when I was on the verge of falling asleep and “The Mighty 1290 KOIL: Omaha’s Original Rocker!” would sing to me from a tiny transistor radio at my bedside.

KOIL Radio was a magnificent and under-appreciated jewel in the midst of the despair of the Omaha urban core and all around the dry flatlands surrounding the city.

KOIL brought rock-and-roll to the Midwest.  If you wanted “Boss Radio” before it was called that, 1290 KOIL was the best place to tune in to rock with the music and the announcers.

The “Mighty 1290 KOIL” radio jingles were branded into your being. 

You sang the jingles in the shower, on the public street and in your head all day long.

Unfortunately, today, 1290 KOIL is no longer broadcasting. 

Omaha is duller and drier for the loss of The Mighty 1290 — but in the hearts and minds of those who experienced radio at its utter best, “1290 KOIL Radio” can still shine up your day and bring a smile to your life.