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The Hawk, the new classic rock radio station that was supposed to be on the air in December 2007, is finally taking flight.

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The station went on the air Wednesday for a five-day testing period. It will launch officially on Monday, Sept. 22, according to station officials.

But listeners can get a preview by tuning into 98.5 on their FM radio dial.

The new station is called “The Hawk.” Plans are for the station to broadcast 100,000 watts on the 98.5 frequency, according to Rob Mandeville, General Manager of the station. Listeners should be able to listen to the station in a 60-mile radius of North Platte.

Mandeville said the format would feature classic rock music from such artists such as The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Eagles and Lynyrd Skynyrd as well as Van Halen, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, Tom Petty and Eric Clapton to name just a few.

The station will also feature the popular morning show duo of Bob and Tom.

Sometimes called "America's Funniest Morning Show," Bob and Tom's brand of bawdy and irreverent humor have made them a favorite morning show in many markets across the country.

Radio station explosion

Radio listeners in North Platte and Lincoln County have more listening choices than ever before. With The Hawk taking flight, the number of commercial radio stations in North Platte doubled in two years – from four to eight.

Hometown Family Radio launched two new FM radio stations in October, 2007. They are KZTL, 93.5-FM, a country format and KRNP, 100.7-FM, which plays varied rock and roll.

Country music fans now have two stations to choose from. Rock and roll fans now have classic rock plus more modern mixes of rock on their FM dials. Fans of talk radio can choose between right wing political talk offered on KODY, 1240-AM or 24-hours of ESPN sports talk on KOOQ, 1410-AM.

Add “The Lake” out of Ogallala and that’s four rock and roll stations available locally.

Not to mention KRVN Rural Radio from Lexington, NET radio and contemporary Christian programming offered by KJLT AM and FM and west central Nebraskans now have real choices on their radio dials.