In a time when budget cuts and layoffs are as common as a cold, it’s nice to see a little serendipity improve the life of a local nonprofit.
Since late December, Minnesota State University’s KMSU-FM radio station has been operating with a new transmitter and tower that has improved the station’s sound and reliability.
And instead of costing $300,000 to $400,000 to replace them, the station got it done for about $50,000.
The grand bargain came KMSU’s way because the Minnesota Department of Transportation, which for years had been lobbying for a new building, finally got approval for the upgrade.
Along with a new building, MnDOT is also adding hardware around the state for a new communications system.
At the same time, KMSU was wondering how it was going to upgrade its aging and structurally unsound broadcast tower.
“They caught wind of our looking to replace that tower, and we got into negotiations with them,” said KMSU Station Manager Jim Gullickson. “It certainly solved a dilemma we had — we didn’t have $200,000 laying around.”
In addition to the new tower, KMSU also has a new transmitter. Clear Channel donated to the station a transmitter from a station in Minot, N.D. KMSU also updated its antennae.
The new tower is 250 feet away, to the southeast, of the old one. Initial plans for that space are not final, but may include a new rugby pitch.
Gullickson said he was told by a client a few years ago — one of the users of the tower — that the tower was over-burdened and structurally unsound. An independent source confirmed it.
The station needed upgrades to the tower, the structure at the base of the tower, the transmitter and the antennae. The tower deal with MnDOT prompted the other upgrades.
“The listener will notice a stronger signal, better coverage in fringe areas; it’ll be more reliable,” Gullickson said. “There were at least a half-dozen episodes where we were off the air for time periods that are unacceptable.”
The transmitter from Clear Channel has been in Mankato for a year and a half. It’s been in storage. Gullickson said they weren’t able to use it until the antennae system was upgraded.
“I often will tell people, ‘Some of this stuff was luck,’” he said. “This thing with MnDOT — they just happened to have the same needs at the same time. I can’t believe it. I’m still pinching myself.”
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