Northwestern Media
Type | Radio network |
---|---|
Country | United States |
History | |
Launch date | February 7, 1949 |
Links | |
Website | unwsp |
Northwestern Media is the Christian radio ministry of the University of Northwestern – St. Paul, an evangelical university in Roseville, Minnesota. Northwestern Media operates two radio networks serving listeners primarily in the Midwestern United States: the Life Network, a contemporary Christian music station, and the Faith Network with Christian talk and teaching programming.
History[]
Northwestern Schools, as it was then known, entered the broadcasting business with the launch of KTIS-AM-FM in the Twin Cities on February 7, 1949.[1] The construction of KTIS, costing $40,000, was entirely underwritten by the school's students.[2] Its radio ministry soon expanded. On April 1, 1953, it bought KBOK in Waterloo, Iowa and changed its call letters to KNWS.[3] Growth continued with the October 25, 1955,[4]: C-149 launch of Fargo's KFNW and its 1961 acquisition of KIHO in Sioux Falls, which became KNWC.[5] Northwestern built FM stations in all three cities in 1965 (Fargo's KFNW-FM[4]: C-149 and Waterloo's KNWS-FM[6]) and 1969 (KNWC-FM in Sioux Falls[4]: C-181 ). Northwestern acquired WRVB-FM in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1973,[7] changing it to WNWC; the college would buy an AM station there in 1997.
In 1983, KDNI in Duluth, Minnesota came to air; it was joined by KDNW, a second frequency, in 1992. Des Moines, Iowa, became part of Northwestern Media's footprint when radio stations KJJC and KLRX were bought out of receivership[8] and became KNWI and KNWM in 2004. KJNW FM in Kansas City was acquired in 2013 from Calvary Bible College.[9]
Station sales[]
In 2010, citing years of low listener support and the fact that it was subsidized by the rest of the network, Northwestern College closed WSMR in Sarasota, Florida, which it had built in 1996; the station was sold to the University of South Florida for $1.275 million and began broadcasting classical music.[10]
Between 2007 and 2012, Northwestern owned a third station, KFNL in the Fargo, North Dakota, area. The station was sold to a commercial broadcaster, Mediactive, LLC, in 2012[11] and is now KBMW-FM.
Between April and August 2018, UNW briefly owned two secular stations, KDSN-AM-FM, in Denison, Iowa. UNW had acquired the stations in order to move KDSN-FM to another frequency and facilitate a signal upgrade for KNWI.[12]
Expansions[]
Northwestern acquired KLBF near Bismarck, North Dakota, from the Educational Media Foundation in 2017; KLBF became a Faith station, making it the westernmost station in the Northwestern Media portfolio and one of its few markets without a Life station.[13] EMF had previously donated WNWW, an AM radio station in Hartford, Connecticut, to the university in 2016.[14]
In 2018, Northwestern Media entered Omaha with its acquisition of KGBI-FM from Salem Media Group for $3.15 million.[15]
Northwestern Media made two major network acquisitions in 2019. The first came in July when the entire Refuge Radio network was donated to UNW. Refuge owned three full-power stations and 13 dependent translators in Minnesota, Iowa and South Dakota.[16] The Refuge network was dismantled and almost all of its transmitters converted to repeat Life and Faith stations; former network key station WJRF in Duluth was taken silent (as Northwestern already had two stations there), the two other full-power stations began simulcasting Life stations, and the translators were spread around the Life and Faith networks.[17]
On August 6, 2019, the Illinois Bible Institute announced it would sell its New Life Radio Network (WBGL/WCIC), a two-network radio ministry primarily broadcasting in Illinois, to the University of Northwestern. UNW will pay $9,901,558.34 to acquire its 13 full-power stations and eight translators.[18] The acquisition will bring UNW's number of broadcast licenses to 81 in 10 states.[19]
An asset purchase agreement filed with the FCC on October 29, 2021 says Northwestern is buying KLMP/88.3 (Rapid City, South Dakota) and KSLT/107.1 (Spearfish-Rapid City, South Dakota) from Bethesda Christian Broadcasting for $249,000. The deal also includes KSLT satellites KSLP/90.3 (Pierre, South Dakota) and KSLS/90.7 (Dickinson, North Dakota) and boosters KLMP-1/KSLT-1 in Rapid City and translator K292DN in Newcastle, Wyoming. KLMP and KSLT fit in with Northwestern’s existing stations, which all carry either Adult Contemporary Christian or teaching and preaching from the “Faith Radio Network.” Bethesda Christian Broadcasting's KTPT (Rapid City, South Dakota) and KSLT/KSLP translators owned by the "International Church of the Foursquare Gospel" are not included in the transaction.[20]
Northwestern Media closed on its purchase of KLMP/88.3 (Rapid City) and KSLT/107.1 (Spearfish-Rapid City) from Bethesda Christian Broadcasting on Jan. 31, 2022. [21]
The University of Northwestern-St. Paul has been granted a new full power station in Ashland, Wisconsin not yet assigned call letters: 91.9 FM, 25kW/43m, class C3 (granted 1/12/2022)[22]
Stations[]
Faith Network[]
Call sign | Frequency | City of license | ERP Watts | Class | FCC info | Rebroadcasts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
KTIS | 900 AM | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 50,000-D/500-N | B | FCC | KTIS |
K206DI | 89.1 FM | Mankato, Minnesota | 250 | D | FCC | KTIS |
K214DF[note 1] | 90.7 FM | Golden Valley-Minneapolis, Minnesota | 99 | D | FCC | KTIS |
K264CD | 100.7 FM | Des Moines, Iowa | 99 | D | FCC | KTIS |
K215DU | 90.9 FM | Hutchinson, Minnesota | 230 | D | FCC | KTIS |
W248CU | 97.5 FM | Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota | 250 | D | FCC | KTIS |
K277CC | 103.3 FM | Pennock–Willmar, Minnesota | 170 | D | FCC | KTIS |
WNWW[note 2] | 1290 AM | West Hartford, Connecticut | 490-D/11-N | D | FCC | KTIS |
W231CZ[note 1] | 94.1 FM | Hartford, Connecticut | 32 | D | FCC | WNWW |
KNWS | 1090 AM | Waterloo, Iowa | 1,000-D/0-N | D | FCC | KNWS |
K226CK | 93.1 FM | Waterloo, Iowa | 250 | D | FCC | KNWS |
KDNI | 90.5 FM | Duluth, Minnesota | 2,000 | C3 | FCC | KDNI |
K254DS | 98.7 FM | Grand Rapids, Minnesota | 250 | D | FCC | KDNI |
K207ES | 89.3 FM | Hibbing, Minnesota | 12 | D | FCC | KDNI |
K220BI | 91.9 FM | Grand Marais, Minnesota | 34 | D | FCC | KDNI |
KLBF[note 2] | 89.1 FM | Lincoln-Bismarck, North Dakota | 2,300 | C3 | FCC | KTIS |
KFNW | 1200 AM | West Fargo, North Dakota | 50,000-D/13,000-N | B | FCC | KFNW |
K273DJ | 102.5 FM | West Fargo, North Dakota | 250 | D | FCC | KFNW |
KNWC | 1270 AM | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | 5,000-D/2,300-N | B | FCC | KNWC |
K208EX | 89.5 FM | Brandon, South Dakota | 230>100(CP) | D | FCC | KNWC |
K227AN | 93.3 FM | Lynd-Marshall, Minnesota | 140 | D | FCC | KNWC |
K288EV | 105.5 FM | Brookings, South Dakota | 250 | D | FCC | KNWC |
K288GA | 105.5 FM | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | 220 | D | FCC | KNWC |
K298CY | 107.5 FM | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | 250 | D | FCC | KNWC |
WNWC | 1190 AM | Sun Prairie-Madison, Wisconsin | 4,800-D/21-N | D | FCC | WNWC |
W284CW | 104.7 FM | Madison, Wisconsin | 250 | D | FCC | WNWC |
KLMP | 88.3 FM | Rapid City, South Dakota | 63,000 | C | FCC | KLMP |
KLMP-FM1 | 88.3 FM | Rapid City, South Dakota | 2,300 | D | FCC | KLMP |
Life Network[]
Call sign | Frequency | City of license | ERP Watts | Class | FCC info | Rebroadcasts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
KTIS-FM | 98.5 FM | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 100,000 | C0 | FCC | KTIS-FM |
K224DB | 92.7 FM | Willmar, Minnesota | 170 | D | FCC | KTIS-FM |
K232EK | 94.3 FM | Rochester, Minnesota | 115 | D | FCC | KTIS-FM |
K235BH | 94.9 FM | Mankato, Minnesota | 250 | D | FCC | KTIS-FM |
K270DZ | 101.9 FM | New Ulm, Minnesota | 250 | D | FCC | KTIS-FM |
K299AL | 107.7 FM | Albert Lea, Minnesota | 250 | D | FCC | KTIS-FM |
KNWI | 107.1 FM | Osceola-Des Moines, Iowa | 100,000 | C1 | FCC | KNWI-FM |
KNWM[note 3] | 96.1 FM | Madrid-Ames, Iowa | 6,000 | A | FCC | KNWI-FM |
KNWS-FM | 101.9 FM | Waterloo, Iowa | 100,000 | C | FCC | KNWS-FM |
K242BX | 96.3 FM | Marshalltown, Iowa | 250 | D | FCC | KNWS-FM |
K245AZ | 96.9 FM | Dubuque, Iowa | 170 | D | FCC | KNWS-FM |
K261DH[note 1] | 100.1 FM | Iowa City, Iowa | 47 | D | FCC | KNWS-FM |
KDNW | 97.3 FM | Duluth, Minnesota | 72,000 | C1 | FCC | KDNW-FM |
KRFG[note 4] | 102.9 FM | Nashwauk-Hibbing, Minnesota | 25,000 | C3 | FCC | KDNW-FM |
WJRF[note 4] | 89.5 FM | Duluth, Minnesota | 1,650>40,000(CP) | A>C1(CP) | FCC | KDNW-FM[23] |
K201IX | 88.1 FM | Grand Rapids, Minnesota | 250 | D | FCC | KDNW-FM |
W230AN | 93.9 FM | Hayward, Wisconsin | 250 | D | FCC | KDNW-FM |
W220EB | 91.9 FM | Ashland, Wisconsin | 38 | D | FCC | KDNW-FM |
W268AT | 101.5 FM | Spooner, Wisconsin | 19 | D | FCC | KDNW-FM |
K288BF | 105.5 FM | Grand Marais, Minnesota | 122 | D | FCC | KDNW-FM |
KJNW | 88.5 FM | Kansas City, Missouri | 100,000 | C1 | FCC | KJNW-FM |
KGBI-FM | 100.7 FM | Omaha, Nebraska | 100,000 | C0 | FCC | KGBI-FM |
KFNW-FM | 97.9 FM | Fargo, North Dakota | 100,000 | C | FCC | KFNW-FM |
K230AS | 93.9 FM | Fergus Falls, Minnesota | 250 | D | FCC | KFNW-FM |
KNWC-FM | 96.5 FM | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | 100,000 | C | FCC | KNWC-FM |
KRGM[note 5] | 89.9 FM | Marshall-Redwood Falls, Minnesota | 4,250 | C3 | FCC | KNWC-FM |
K208FJ | 89.5 FM | Fairmont, Minnesota | 250 | D | FCC | KNWC-FM |
K210CG | 89.9 FM | Spirit Lake, Iowa | 250 | D | FCC | KNWC-FM |
K220HY | 91.9 FM | Spencer, Iowa | 250 | D | FCC | KNWC-FM |
K257CH[24] | 99.3 FM | Estherville, Iowa | 80 | D | FCC | KNWC-FM |
K220IT | 91.9 FM | Watertown, South Dakota | 50 | D | FCC | KNWC-FM |
K229BK | 93.7 FM | North Sioux City, South Dakota | 250 | D | FCC | KNWC-FM |
K231AR | 94.1 FM | Mitchell, South Dakota | 250 | D | FCC | KNWC-FM |
WNWC-FM | 102.5 FM | Madison, Wisconsin | 50,000 | B | FCC | WNWC-FM |
W237CO | 95.3 FM | Richland Center, Wisconsin | 10 | D | FCC | WNWC-FM |
KSLT | 107.1 FM | Spearfish, South Dakota | 100,000 | C | FCC | KSLT-FM |
KSLT-FM1 | 107.1 FM | Rapid City, South Dakota | 2,400 | D | FCC | KSLT-FM |
KSLP[note 6] | 90.3 FM | Fort Pierre, South Dakota | 2,000 | A | FCC | KSLT-FM |
KSLS[note 7] | 90.7 FM | Dickinson, North Dakota | 3,400 | A | FCC | KSLT-FM |
K292DN | 106.3 FM | Newcastle, Wyoming | 31 | D | FCC | KSLT-FM |
Silent[]
Call sign | Frequency | City of license | ERP Watts | Class | FCC info | Rebroadcasts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
K285ET[note 8] | 104.9 FM | Kiron, Iowa | 250 | D | FCC | Silent[25] |
K282CF (CP) | 104.3 FM | Dubuque, Iowa | 13 | D | FCC | Silent |
Acquired Stations of New Life Media Network from the Illinois Bible Institute[]
Call sign | Frequency | City of license | ERP Watts | Class | FCC info | Rebroadcasts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WCIC | 91.5 FM | Pekin-Peoria, Illinois | 47,000 | B | FCC | WCIC |
WSCT[note 9] | 90.1 FM | Springfield, Illinois | 3,800 | A | FCC | WCIC |
WPRC[note 9] | 88.7 FM | Sheffield, Illinois | 8,500 | B1 | FCC | WCIC |
W212AN | 90.3 FM | Jacksonville, Illinois | 55 | D | FCC | WSCT |
W219DV | 91.7 FM | Jacksonville, Illinois | 38 | D | FCC | WSCT |
W255AI | 98.9 FM | Bloomington, Illinois | 55 | D | FCC | WCIC |
W263AO | 100.5 FM | Galesburg, Illinois | 19 | D | FCC | WCIC |
K247BW | 97.3 FM | Bettendorf, Iowa | 40 | D | FCC | WPRC |
WBGL | 91.7 FM | Champaign, Illinois | 20,000 | B | FCC | WBGL |
WCFL[note 10] | 104.7 FM | Morris, Illinois | 50,000 | B | FCC | WBGL |
WIBI[note 10] | 91.1 FM | Carlinville, Illinois | 50,000 | B | FCC | WBGL |
WNLD[note 10] | 88.1 FM | Decatur, Illinois | 1,000 | A | FCC | WBGL |
WZGL[note 10] | 88.1 FM | Charleston, Illinois | 2,100 | A | FCC | WBGL |
WCRT-FM[note 10] | 88.5 FM | Terre Haute, Indiana | 1,050 | A | FCC | WBGL |
WCBW-FM[note 10] | 89.7 FM | East St. Louis, Illinois | 250 | A | FCC | WBGL |
WBMV[note 10] | 89.7 FM | Mount Vernon, Illinois | 10,500 | B1 | FCC | WBGL |
WVNL[note 10] | 91.7 FM | Vandalia, Illinois | 100 | A | FCC | WBGL |
WIMB[note 10] | 89.1 FM | Murphysboro, Illinois | 3,500 | A | FCC | WBGL |
W211AD | 90.1 FM | Granite City, Illinois | 60 | D | FCC | WIBI |
W230BS | 93.9 FM | Effingham, Illinois | 38 | D | FCC | WBMV |
K295FB | 106.9 FM | Cape Girardeau, Missouri | 92 | D | FCC | WBMV |
Notes[]
- ^ a b c Translator owned by the Educational Media Foundation
- ^ a b Full-power simulcast of KTIS-AM
- ^ Full-power simulcast of KNWI
- ^ a b Full-power simulcast of KDNW
- ^ Full-power simulcast of KNWC-FM
- ^ Full-power simulcast of KSLT
- ^ Full-power simulcast of KSLT
- ^ Owned by the West Iowa Fellowship of Evangelicals
- ^ a b Full-power simulcast of WCIC
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Full-power simulcast of WBGL
References[]
- ^ "KTIS, Religious Station, Launched". Star-Tribune. February 8, 1949. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ "Students Finance New Station KTIS". Minneapolis Star. February 8, 1949. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
- ^ "School Group to Assume Control of KBOK Apr. 1". The Courier. March 17, 1953. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ a b c "Radio" (PDF). 1976 Broadcasting Yearbook. 1976. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ "Station KIHO Is Now KNWC". Argus-Leader. April 19, 1961. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ "Waterloo's KNWS Begins FM Operation". Cedar Rapids Gazette. June 17, 1965. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ "College Buys Radio Station". Wisconsin State Journal. January 30, 1973. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ Sprau, Dave (June 26, 2003). "ESPN radio affiliate closes". Iowa State Daily. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ Venta, Lance (January 29, 2013). "Northwestern College Buys KLJC Kansas City". RadioInsight. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ "Noncommercial WSMR-FM Sarasota FL going secular". RBR. August 4, 2010. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ Venta, Lance (March 5, 2013). "The Bone Fargo Goes Dark". RadioInsight. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ Venta, Lance. "Station Sales Week Of 9/7: KDSN Gets Divested Soon After Its Acquisition". RadioInsight. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ "KLBF/89.1 (Lincoln-Bismarck) has returned to the air..." Northpine. October 2, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ "K-LOVE Transfers Ownership of WCCC-AM in Hartford to Faith Radio". NRB Today. April 14, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
- ^ "Salem Media Announces Sale of KGBI-FM in Omaha". BusinessWire. May 22, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ "Refuge Media Group Donates Stations To University of Northwestern-St. Paul". Inside Radio. July 19, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ Ellis, Jon (September 3, 2019). ""Life," "Faith" Networks Expand on Former Refuge Stations". Northpine. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ Jacobson, Adam (August 6, 2019). "Faith Radio Finds New Life With 13 New Stations, Plus Translators". RBR. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ "U. of Northwestern Buys 13 Stations From Illinois Bible Institute". Inside Radio. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ Ellis, Jon. "Bethesda Sells 2 of its 3 Rapid City Stations to Northwestern". Northpine. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ^ Ellis, Jon. "Northwestern Closes Purchase of Two Rapid City Stations, Third to be Sold". Northpine. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- ^ Ellis, Jon. "Running List: FCC Grants New Non-Commercial FM Stations". Northpine. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ^ "FCC Grants Upgrade for Duluth Station". Upper Midwest Broadcasting at NorthPine.com. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
- ^ Lakes Area Christian Radio files to donate the Estherville, IA-licensed translator K257CH at 99.3 FM to the University of Northwestern-St. Paul."Deal Digest – February 20, 2020". Inside Radio. February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ "Western Iowa FM Station Moves, Making Way for Des Moines Upgrade". Upper Midwest Broadcasting at NorthPine.com. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- University of Northwestern – St. Paul
- 1949 establishments in Minnesota
- Christian radio stations in the United States
- Christian mass media companies
- Northwestern Media