News Highlights

KMSU-FM receives free replacement transmitter from Clear Channel

Upgrade will reduce airplay disruption

KMSU 89.7 FM has received a transmitter from Clear Channel Communications to replace the station's aging transmitter, which means the old piece of equipment won't have to be repaired -- almost literally -- with bubble gum and baling wire.

2007-07-23
By Amanda Dyslin, Free Press Staff Writer [published in The Free Press, Mankato, MN, 7/22/2007]

Or at least heard in KMSU FM Radio’s listening area. But, actually, the station streams online, too, so techni­cally it can be heard ’round the world.

Anyway, KMSU recently received a Harris 20kw trans­mitter free from Clear Channel — a much- needed item at the station that easily could have cost about $70,000 to purchase, said sta­tion manager Jim Gullickson. Currently, the Mankato independent radio station is running on a transmitter made by the Singer Sewing company in the early 1980s. They don’t even make parts to fix the thing anymore, and something as common as bad winter weather can cause the station to go off the air because the old transmitter can’t take the punch.

The new transmitter, which comes from a station in Minot, N.D., also is used, but is in good condition. It’s also quite an upgrade from the sta­tion’s current 3kw transmit­ter.

Karen Wright, operations director, mentioned at a National Association of Broadcasters event in Washington, D.C. — where she was accepting a commu­nity service award — that the station was in need of a trans­mitter.

Wright’s conversation with Inside Edition host Deborah Norville about the transmit­ter led to her putting out word of KMSU’s need. Within minutes, Mark Mays, CEO of Clear Channel Broadcasting, made an offer to replace it.

“In the meantime, two years ago, a structural analy­sis was done on the tower,” Gullickson said. “It was poor­ly designed to begin with, it’s not structurally sound, and we were told we gotta do something about this.”

Now that the transmitter has arrived, all that’s left is to build a new tower and hous­ing unit for the transmitter, which hopefully will be com­pleted by the first snowfall, Guillickson said. KMSU is collaborating with the Minnesota Department of Transportation to build the tower.

When the new tower is erected and the new trans­mitter is in place, the old one will be shut down and there should be little to no disrup­tion in airplay.

For more Free Press news go to www.mankatofreepress.com.

For more news of the donation, go to the KMSU Web site at http://www.mnsu.edu/kmsufm/

Email this article | Permanent link | Topstories news | Topstories news archives