It began in 1954 with the name "Trenton Broadcasting Company." The original owners were Sam A. Burk of Kirksville, and M.S.W. "WAT" Arnold and his son, Sam M. Arnold. KTTN was subsequently purchased by Clarence Breazeal, who did business as "Breazeal Broadcasting Company."

In 1968, KTTN was purchased by Marvin Luehrs and his father-in-law, Everett Wenrick, operating as "Luehrs Broadcasting Company." In 1992, KTTN again changed hands when three long-time employees, John Anthony Ausberger, Mike Ransdell, and Tim Peery, purchased the business and continued to operate under the corporate name of "Luehrs Broadcasting Company."

The station began above the old Missouri Public Service building at 112-1/2 East 9th Street in downtown Trenton. In the early 1960's, it moved into its present location at 804 Main Street. KTTN's broadcast day at this time began at 5:30 am and ran to sunset Monday thru Saturday. On Sunday, KTTN broadcast from 7 a.m. to sunset.

Sam Burk first applied to the Federal Communications Commission for a broadcast license at Trenton in November of 1953. The application ran into trouble several months later. What most people don't know is that they originally asked for a station at 1490 kilocycles. However, the FCC ruled this would cause interference to Newton, Iowa and other places. They switched to 1600, but it wasn't until December, 1954 that KTTN received its permit. The AM station signed on Sunday, April 17, 1955.

KTTN received much help and encouragement from many civic-minded persons in Trenton in the early days.

• Rick McHargue, now with the Molly Brown Theatre in Hannibal
• Ed Hundley, now retired, has been at KLEX, Wellington, Kansas
• Zora Belle Hundley, his wife, secretary, THS Grad, and pianist
• Jay Way, went to KMRN of Cameron, Mo.
• John Horton, former News Director
• Joe Seymour, former News Director, went to Joplin and is back at Trenton
• Paul Coates, now at a station in Arkansas
• Stan Lehr, now working at a major radio station in Indianapolis
• Gib Keith, former News Director, went to N-W Electric at Cameron, now retired
• George Davison is now an attorney in Des Moines

Some of the first advertising customers of KTTN included:

• Robert Cullers at Trenton National Bank
• Willis Alexander at Trenton Trust Company
• Dean Seidel at the Chevrolet dealership
• Charles Marquis at Fair Drug
• Harold Brown at Cisco Brown Drug Store
• Carl Muff at Muff's Bakery
• Jim Dale at Dale and Brock (Jewelry Store)
• Dorothy Brown at Brown's Dress Shop
• Gerald McVay at McVay Motor Company

Bits and pieces of interesting information from past to present:

• KTTN has had only four News Directors in its 40 plus years on the air. News Director, Tom Mock, began his career with KTTN in 1966, replacing Joe Seymour.
• The first birth ever to be announced on KTTN was that of Beverly Wade on April 17, 1955.
• Night-Time broadcasting became a reality when KTTN FM signed on the air on September 15, 1978.
• In June of 1994, sister station KGOZ-FM (known as Hot Country Z-101.7) signed on the air as a music intensive, 24-hour a day radio station. It's operated under the corporate name of PAR Broadcasting Company with the initials P (Peery), A (Anthony), and R (Ransdell) representing ownership. Effective 2002, Peery and Ransdell sold their interests in KGOZ and KTTN to their partner, Anthony, making him and his wife the sole owners
• In July, 1996, KTTN broke tradition by separating our AM and FM broadcasts in an effort to introduce a new music format to the area. AM 1600 now featured a soft hits (light rock) format, but without any news or sports. FM 92.3 continued with heavy emphasis on local news, weather, and sports, as well as the audience participation and other informational programs. With the purchase of industry-leading computers, KTTN was able to expand its service by offering 24-hour-a-day broadcasting.
• In January of 1997, KTTN FM purchased a new transmitter and increased its power to 25,000 watts (from 6,000) thereby expanding our coverage area and listener base.
• During our 40-plus-year history, we have always believed that radio is flexible and adaptable! Radio is stronger now than it ever was before. In recent years, radio has emerged as the number one reach media, affecting more adults in a given day than any media. Radio has made these gains because it's so compatible with consumer lifestyles - reaching them not only at home, but outdoors, in offices, and motor vehicles. Best of all, radio always has been, and will continue to be, free for consumers. No subscription rates to pay; no cable or satellite TV charges. Radio is the obvious choice.

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