Biographical Encyclopedia of American Radio by Sterling Christopher H.;O'Dell Cary;

Author:Sterling, Christopher H.;O'Dell, Cary;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
Published: 2019-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Minnesota Public Radio

The statewide service proved easier to realize than did the dual service concept. Several institutions of higher education found it economical to affiliate with the renamed (in 1974) Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), to set up relay transmitters, and in some cases to create small studios. By 1980 most parts of Minnesota were served by at least one MPR signal. However, a few independent public radio ventures, notably in the Twin Cities (KFAIFM), at St. Cloud State (KSCU-FM), and in Grand Rapids (KAXE-FM), found Kling to be an obstacle to their efforts to come on air or to increase their transmitter power. While reasons for the creation of a statewide service varied, a recurrent theme ran through them all: why put money into a host of small public radio stations when one large service could do the job so much better? A Governor’s Task Force on the future of public radio in Minnesota recommended in 1975 that steps be taken to develop a statewide dual-service public radio system and praised MPR for its efforts along those lines but stopped short of saying that MPR should necessarily be the parent organization for both. Kling had no doubts that it should.

Kling knew that he would have to obtain a second FM frequency in the Twin Cities if MPR were to function effectively as a dual service. However, all the reserved frequencies for noncommercial services were taken, and the commercial frequencies had long since been claimed. Purchase of an existing station seemed to be the only option, but the expense would be great. He secured pledges of financial support from business and industry, but the only stations available at a reasonable price were on the AM band. In 1979 the MPR board approved purchase of KRSI-AM (St. Louis Park, a first-tier Minneapolis suburb), which allowed MPR to shift the bulk of its news and public affairs programming over to 1330 AM and to make KSJNFM into a largely classical music service. It wasn’t until 1990 that MPR was able to acquire a Twin Cities FM frequency (99.5) by purchasing WLOLFM. The Minnesota Broadcasters Association objected on the grounds that the action deprived listeners of a commercial radio service and that the purchase itself probably involved state funding. (MPR and other public radio stations have received state support since the late 1970s.)

During the 1980s, Kling continued to develop “second channel” services throughout Minnesota, aided by the money being generated through two further MPR initiatives in which he played a leading role: American Public Radio (APR), and Rivertown Trading Company. APR was created in 1983, after Kling and four other managers of major public radio stations were unable to convince NPR to syndicate some of its leading programs—in MPR’s case, Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion. They leased satellite time, and soon had a sizeable lineup of public radio stations as paying subscribers. (APR’s revenues in 1999 were $19.7 million.)

The popularity of Keillor’s various fictional creations, especially Powdermilk Biscuits, led Kling to propose to

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