Iowa
Des Moines lands an alternative radio station, hitting airwaves with favorites, Iowa music
Chappell Roan talks about her Midwest upbringing to a crowd in Milwaukee
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MTV launched on Aug. 1, 1981, playing “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles just after midnight. On Thursday, just after midnight, a new alternative station took over the airwaves, kicking off its new era with “Capricorn” by Vampire Weekend, who just played Hinterland in early August.
The alternative music station on 94.1 FM and on 88.9 FM in the Bondurant/Mitchellville area features music made in Iowa, hosts based in Iowa, and music alt fans want to hear, according to a news release from Iowa Public Radio, the parent company.
“Those are three things that are harder and harder to find in the current music and radio landscape,” said Jordan Bahnsen, marketing manager at Iowa Public Radio.
Which alternative bands will 94.1 play?
Fans can expect to hear a mix of ’90s, ’80s, and new music encompassing “alternative, indie and rock in all its eras so there’s a little something for everyone, played every hour,” Bahnsen said. Think Arctic Monkeys, Hozier, Father John Misty, Modest Mouse, Jack White, the Police, Echo and the Bunnymen and the Talking Heads, for starters.
“We’ve been working for months to revamp the sound of Studio One to give Iowans more of the music they want,” Al Schares, music program director at Iowa Public Radio, said in a news release.
Fans can also expect to hear local music, such as The Nadas, as well as live sets recorded at music venues throughout Iowa.
Des Moines is no stranger to the alternative music scene and makes a nice stop for bands rolling through town to play bigger cities surrounding it. In recent months, the Des Moines metro has seen the likes of The Pixies and the Smashing Pumpkins play Vibrant Music Hall in Waukee, the Violent Femmes at Water Works Park, and Greta van Fleet and the Avett Brothers at the Iowa State Fair. Hinterland brought alternative artists such as Chappell Roan, Hozier and Vampire Weekend to St. Charles. Cage the Elephant plays Wells Fargo Arena in September.
More: These are some of the biggest concerts near Des Moines in 2024, from Slipknot to Alabama
Who are the deejays behind 94.1?
So far, the lineup for talent on the radio includes:
Where to listen to 94.1
The new signal is part of Iowa Public Radio’s Studio One format, currently heard on IPR News and Studio One stations.This new station marks first time Studio One will be heard around the clock on broadcast radio.
The new sound airs on 94.1 in Des Moines and, in select hours, on 13 IPR News and Studio One stations across the state. It’s also available online at iprstudioone.org and in the Iowa Public Radio and Studio One apps.
Des Moines had an alternative station, ALT 106.3 FM, that flipped formatting to a sports station in 2020.
Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
Cyclones star Audi Crooks on Iowa State’s loss to Baylor
Iowa State’s Audi Crooks on her team’s first loss of the season to Baylor.
Audi Crooks and Iowa State women’s basketball are officially sweeping the nation.
On Tuesday’s edition of “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN, the Cyclones’ star and NCAA women’s basketball scoring leader garnered significant praise from the former-NFL-punter-turned-media-personality.
“I’m a huge fan of the way she operates. Huge fan,” McAfee said. “She just gets buckets. That’s literally all she does.
“Did I know anything about Iowa State’s women’s basketball team ever? Nope. But Audi Crooks highlights pop up on my (algorithm), and I say, ‘Boys, immediately, I’m making a song, we’re making a highlight,’ because people are trying to take shots at Audi right now.”
The song and video McAfee referenced was posted on his social media and played on his show before his monologue about Crooks. It features a stylish edit of Crooks points accompanied by what appears to be an AI-generated song with the chorus of, “You’re about to get cooked, by Audi Crooks.”
The “shots” at Crooks that McAfee mentioned refer to a TikTok posted by ESPN with the caption, “Baylor exposed Audi Crooks on defense,” which came in ISU’s first loss of the season on Jan. 4.
Audi Crooks stats
- 2025-26 season (14 games): 29.1 points (NCAA leader), 6.7 rebounds, 71% shooting
- 2024-25 season: 23.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 60.5% shooting
- 2023-24 season: 19.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 57.7% shooting
Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen talks about Northwestern game
Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen talks about victory at Northwestern on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Evanston, Illinois.
Iowa women’s basketball was lacking some of its vocal leadership on Monday at Northwestern.
Part of that was the fact that Hawkeyes senior Kylie Feuerbach is still sidelined with an ankle injury. Another part was the fact that Chit-Chat Wright was not feeling great.
“No excuse, but Chat’s really sick,” Iowa coach Jan Jensen said after the Hawkeyes’ 67-58 victory. “She didn’t have the flu game like (Michael) Jordan. But she’s really sick, like fever. And I think that just threw her. She was really not vocal tonight. So we were kinda searching, because Chat had been coming (as a leader).”
Wright fought through it and played 34 minutes, scoring 12 points and dishing out seven assists.
Jensen confirmed that Feuerbach remains day-to-day. She hasn’t played since getting hurt Dec. 20 vs. UConn.
“I think (our leadership tonight) was by committee,” Jensen said. “It just wasn’t the same person every time. … It’ll be nice to get Kylie back in that lineup.”
Feuerbach, the team’s best perimeter defender, has missed Iowa’s last three games. Jensen said she is pleased overall with how her team has played defensively in Feuerbach’s absence.
“(Against Northwestern) it was more an ‘us’ problem offensively,” Jensen said. “Our defense held. … We turned the ball over 20 times.”
Two people are dead after a Dubuque bar fight escalated, with one man shooting another and then being killed by police.
An officer with the Dubuque Police Department was outside the Odd Fellows bar just before 1 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 4, when he witnessed a physical altercation, according to a news release from the Dubuque Police Department.
As the officer exited the patrol vehicle, an adult man allegedly used a handgun to shoot one of the people involved in the fight. The officer fired at the offender, who then ran into the bar.
The victim who was shot first was provided medical treatment by officers at the scene and then transported to MercyOne Hospital in Dubuque.
The offender was treated by police officers inside the bar and then transported to UnityPoint Finley Hospital.
Both were later pronounced dead.
The names of those involved are not being released at this time pending notification of family members.
The incident is being investigated by the Dubuque Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. The officer involved was not injured and has been placed on critical incident leave in accordance with the department’s policies.
Nick El Hajj is a reporter at the Register. He can be reached at nelhajj@gannett.com. Follow him on X at @nick_el_hajj.
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