About KQ & QK

Kaleidoquiz

What is Kaleidoquiz?

Kaleidoquiz is a 26-hour radio contest put on by KURE 88.5 FM, Iowa State University’s Student radio station. For 26 hours, trivia is played on-air through the broadcast, and participating teams must call in and give their answer. In addition to this, KQ has evolved over the years to provide even more activities during the 26-hour period, including:

– Scavenger Hunts
– Event Challenges
– Photo and Video Challenges
– A Travel Challenge
– and so much more!

Kaleidoquiz began back in the days of 1967. Back then the station wasn’t FM, wasn’t in stereo, hell, it wasn’t even KURE. The very first Kaleidoquiz was only 12 hours long (the station went off air at midnight) and was already making waves. So many people were calling in to answer over the air questions that the phone system went haywire and it was almost impossible to place a call on campus the entire afternoon.

As years went by and KQ grew in size and importance (it was once the largest radio trivia game in the world), people began to notice. National Public Radio did a story on the KQ phenomenon in the 1970’s. During one of the famous traveling questions, over a hundred cars descended upon a small Iowa town and terrified the locals as they searched for their answer.

The ISU tradition of KQ has evolved over the years. Fewer teams participate than in its peak, but to make up for it, and make up for the ease the internet has added to answering the questions, KQ is now packed with many more sub-contests through the night. Now, while the teams are answering the normal trivia questions every 6 minutes through-out the night, they are also scrambling to finish scavenger hunts, trying to recognize a song or movie in the Montages, or performing some odd task that we set before them. Today KQ is 26 hours long, and still as crazy as ever.

QuickyKwiz

QuickyKwiz is a 6-hour radio contest in the same vein as Kaleidoquiz, but more accessible. QuickyKwiz is designed to be played by smaller teams (of 5-10 members) and unlike Kaleidoquiz’s 26 hours, it is an exciting Saturday afternoon in the fall semester instead.