KRIB KRIB KRIB (1490 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Mason City, Iowa. The station is owned by Digity, LLC, and licensed to Digity 3E License, LLC. It airs an Adult Standards music format. KRIB was one of the first radio stations in Iowa to play Rock and Roll in the mid-1950s and garnered all of the young audience. KRIB is also the radio station that was one of the sponsors of the Winter Dance Party at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa in February 1959 featuring The Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly, which ended that
The Big Bopper throttle shortly after takeoff about 5 miles outside Mason City in the middle of farm country. The reason remains unknown, but Peterson may have lost his visual reference and thought that he was ascending while he was actually descending. It is also possible that he had mechanical problems and was attempting to turn back toward Mason City. The right wingtip of the Beechcraft Bonanza sliced into the frozen ground and sent the aircraft cartwheeling across a cleared cornfield at approximately 170 mph. Holly, Valens, and Richardson were ejected from the plane on impact and probably tumbled along with the wreckage