KQPR
 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (June 2019) |
 | |
| City | Albert Lea, Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Albert Lea-Austin |
| Frequency | 96.1 MHz |
| Branding | Power 96 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic rock |
| Affiliations | Minnesota Vikings Radio Network Linder Farm Network Austin Bruins Media Network |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Daniel and Barbara Massman (D&Z Media, LLC) |
| KDWA | |
| History | |
First air date | August 14, 1989 |
Call sign meaning | K Q PoweR 96 |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 54473 |
| Class | C3 |
| ERP | 25,000 watts |
| HAAT | 94 meters (308 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 43°36′58″N 93°12′47″W / 43.61611°N 93.21306°W |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | kqprfm.com |
KQPR (96.1 FM, "Power 96") is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock/full service format. Licensed to Albert Lea, Minnesota, United States, the station serves the Albert Lea-Austin area. The station is currently owned by Daniel and Barbara Massman, through licensee D&Z Media, LLC.[1]
History[]
KQPR first went on the air on August 14, 1989.[2] Sometime in the 1990s, it became a satellite station of KQCL, which originates out of Faribault.
On December 13, 2001, KQPR began broadcasting independently again from its own studios in Albert Lea, its city of license.[3]
On March 29, 2004, KQPR increased its effective radiated power from 5,000 to 25,000 watts.[4]
In August 2018, it was announced that Hometown Broadcasting was selling KQPR to D&Z Media.[5] The official transfer of ownership was effective on January 2, 2019. Operations Manager Reggie Bauer was brought in with the new ownership,[6] having previously worked for KDWA (the other station owned by Massman) as a teenager.
On April 16, 2019, at 1:00pm, KQPR flipped to a "Classic Hits - Rock" format via Westwood One's STORQ service. After what Bauer called "considerable backlash," he added the Music Director position to his duties and started sliding the format back to classic rock, officially completing the flip back on July 1, 2020.[7]
References[]
- ^ "KQPR Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ^ @power96mn (14 August 2021). "We're 32 years old today! Power 96 first went on the air on August 14th, 1989!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Power 96 now locally owned". 17 December 2001.
- ^ @power96mn (29 March 2021). "ON THIS DAY in 2004: Power 96 got an upgrade...we increased our transmitter power from 5,000 to 25,000 watts! Can you hear us now?