North Dakota Public Radio
Encyclopedia
Prairie Public is the public radio network for the state of North Dakota
. It is a service of Prairie Public Broadcasting, in partnership with in association with North Dakota State University
in Fargo
and the University of North Dakota
in Grand Forks. Prairie Public maintains active studios in Grand Forks, Fargo and Bismarck
.
, adult album alternative
music, and NPR programming.
In 1952, students at North Dakota Agricultural College, forerunner of North Dakota State, signed on KDSC, a carrier current
station. It began using the KDSU calls sometime in the early 1960s. The station went off the air in 1964 due to technical difficulties, but returned in 1966 as a fully licensed FM station. It originally tried to satisfy all tastes, airing jazz, blues, folk music, classical music, rock and opera. By 1981, however, it had evolved into a more traditional public radio station, airing news and jazz during the week and specialty programming on weekends.
Both stations were early members of NPR, but this still left western North Dakota without public radio. Prairie Public Television had its mission broadened to include radio in the late 1970s, and in 1981 KCND signed on as the first public radio station in the western part of the state, under the on-air name of Prairie Public Radio. Between 1981 and 1993, four more stations signed on.
On February 1, 1999; Prairie Public Radio, KDSU and KUND merged to form North Dakota Public Radio, with the goal of providing a full NPR service to all of North Dakota. On September 26, 2006, the service reverted to the Prairie Public Radio name, so chosen in order to achieve brand consistency with Prairie Public Broadcasting's other operations. http://www.prairiepublic.org/pressroom/news_release_newbrand.jsp
, and it also runs Public Radio International
programs including Marketplace
. Prairie Public also runs programming from Minnesota Public Radio
's American Public Media
, including A Prairie Home Companion
. Prairie Public also has a locally produced call-in show, Hear it Now, hosted by Merrill Piepkorn. Most of the music played on Prairie Public is classical, adult album alternative
or jazz
.
in Grand Forks, formerly one of the FM stations of UND's now-defunct Northern Lights Public Radio, is a part of the Prairie Public radio network and carries some network programming, but originates its own programming as well. KDSU of Fargo rebroadcasts KFJM during the midday and overnights on weekdays outside of NPR and Prairie Public programming. KDSU is also part of Prairie Public's Radio Eastern Service. KFJM and KDSU primarily air an adult album alternative
music format along with blues
, folk
, and jazz
. KFJM is simulcast
ed the HD-2
channel of all of Prairie Public Radio's stations, branded as their Roots, Rock & Jazz service.
, northwest Minnesota
, and eastern Montana
.
Prairie Public's full power stations are now broadcasting digitally (in addition to their standard analog carrier) using HD Radio
, with KFJM in Grand Forks being rebroadcast over these stations on their "HD-2" subchannel.
Prairie Public's eastern radio service is also carried in Winnipeg on Shaw Cable's radio system at 107.9 FM.
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
. It is a service of Prairie Public Broadcasting, in partnership with in association with North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, more commonly known as North Dakota State University , is a public university in Fargo, North Dakota. NDSU has about 14,000 students and it is the largest university in North Dakota based on full time students and land size...
in Fargo
Fargo
-Military:* Fargo, the ammunition compound next to the Royal School of Artillery* Fargo-class cruiser, ship design of the United States Navy** , the first ship of the Fargo-class cruisers...
and the University of North Dakota
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...
in Grand Forks. Prairie Public maintains active studios in Grand Forks, Fargo and Bismarck
Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city's population was 61,272 at the 2010 census, while its metropolitan population was 108,779...
.
History
Noncommercial radio has a rich tradition in North Dakota. In 1923, KUND signed on from the UND campus as one of the first college radio stations in the country. It moved to several frequencies over the years before finally settling on 1370 AM. By the 1970s, it had adopted the on-air name of "Northern Lights Public Radio." It added an FM counterpart in 1995. The two stations briefly went off the air in 1997 due to flooding in the transmitter. KUND-FM swapped callsigns with UND's college radio station, KFJM, before its return. By the end of the 20th century, the two stations aired jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, adult album alternative
Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....
music, and NPR programming.
In 1952, students at North Dakota Agricultural College, forerunner of North Dakota State, signed on KDSC, a carrier current
Carrier current
Carrier current is a method of low power AM radio transmission that uses the AC electrical system of a building to propagate a medium frequency, AM signal to a relatively small area, such as a building or a group of buildings...
station. It began using the KDSU calls sometime in the early 1960s. The station went off the air in 1964 due to technical difficulties, but returned in 1966 as a fully licensed FM station. It originally tried to satisfy all tastes, airing jazz, blues, folk music, classical music, rock and opera. By 1981, however, it had evolved into a more traditional public radio station, airing news and jazz during the week and specialty programming on weekends.
Both stations were early members of NPR, but this still left western North Dakota without public radio. Prairie Public Television had its mission broadened to include radio in the late 1970s, and in 1981 KCND signed on as the first public radio station in the western part of the state, under the on-air name of Prairie Public Radio. Between 1981 and 1993, four more stations signed on.
On February 1, 1999; Prairie Public Radio, KDSU and KUND merged to form North Dakota Public Radio, with the goal of providing a full NPR service to all of North Dakota. On September 26, 2006, the service reverted to the Prairie Public Radio name, so chosen in order to achieve brand consistency with Prairie Public Broadcasting's other operations. http://www.prairiepublic.org/pressroom/news_release_newbrand.jsp
Programming
Prairie Public is a member of National Public Radio, airing programs such as All Things ConsideredAll Things Considered
All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
, and it also runs Public Radio International
Public Radio International
Public Radio International is a Minneapolis-based American public radio organization, with locations in Boston, New York, London and Beijing. PRI's tagline is "Hear a different voice." PRI is a major public media content creator and also distributes programs from many sources...
programs including Marketplace
Marketplace (radio program)
Marketplace is a radio program that focuses on business, the economy, and events that influence them. Hosted by Kai Ryssdal, the show is produced and distributed by American Public Media, in association with the University of Southern California...
. Prairie Public also runs programming from Minnesota Public Radio
Minnesota Public Radio
Minnesota Public Radio , is the flagship National Public Radio member network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, News & Information, Classical Music and The Current, MPR operates a 42-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest serving over 8 million people...
's American Public Media
American Public Media
American Public Media is the second largest producer of public radio programs in the United States of America after NPR. Its non-profit parent, American Public Media Group, also owns and operates radio stations in Minnesota, California, and Florida. Its station brands are Minnesota Public Radio,...
, including A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. The show runs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, and usually originates from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it is frequently taken on the road...
. Prairie Public also has a locally produced call-in show, Hear it Now, hosted by Merrill Piepkorn. Most of the music played on Prairie Public is classical, adult album alternative
Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....
or jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
.
Regional networks
The Prairie Public radio chain is split up into two networks: Radio Eastern Service (KUND, KPRJ, KDSU, KPPD) and Radio Western Service (KCND, KDPR, KMPR, KPPR).KFJM/KDSU
KFJMKFJM
KFJM is a public radio station in Grand Forks, North Dakota airing an adult album alternative format with news in the mornings, jazz in the late evenings and blues and folk on the weekends....
in Grand Forks, formerly one of the FM stations of UND's now-defunct Northern Lights Public Radio, is a part of the Prairie Public radio network and carries some network programming, but originates its own programming as well. KDSU of Fargo rebroadcasts KFJM during the midday and overnights on weekdays outside of NPR and Prairie Public programming. KDSU is also part of Prairie Public's Radio Eastern Service. KFJM and KDSU primarily air an adult album alternative
Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....
music format along with blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. KFJM is simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
ed the HD-2
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
channel of all of Prairie Public Radio's stations, branded as their Roots, Rock & Jazz service.
Coverage
Prairie Public has 9 full power stations and 8 low-power translators broadcasting across North DakotaNorth Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, northwest Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, and eastern Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
.
| Location | Frequency | Call sign Call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations... |
Call sign meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beach Beach, North Dakota As of the 2000 Census, there were 1,116 people, 470 households, and 292 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 570 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.66% White, 0.18% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.54% from other races, and... |
91.9 | K220FI (KDPR) | |
| Bismarck Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city's population was 61,272 at the 2010 census, while its metropolitan population was 108,779... |
90.5 | KCND KCND KCND is a radio station licensed to Bismarck. It signed on the air in 1981 as Prairie Public Radio, which later became part of the similarly named Prairie Public Radio radio service, formerly North Dakota Public Radio. It currently broadcasts with an effective radiated power of 50 kW on 90.5... |
Capital of North Dakota |
| Bowman Bowman, North Dakota As of the census of 2000, there were 1,600 people, 702 households, and 419 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,227.8 people per square mile . There were 799 housing units at an average density of 613.2 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 99.12% White, 0.12%... |
91.9 | K220FJ (KDPR) | |
| Crosby Crosby, North Dakota As of the census of 2000, there were 1,089 people, 489 households, and 290 families residing in the city. The population density was 807.6 people per square mile . There were 637 housing units at an average density of 472.4 per square mile... |
91.9 | K220FF (KPPW) | |
| Devils Lake Devils Lake, North Dakota As of the 2000 Census, there were 7,222 people, 3,127 households, and 1,773 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,508 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.23% White, 0.22% African American, 7.84% Native American, 0.28%... |
91.7 | KPPD KPPD KPPD is a radio station licensed to Devils Lake, North Dakota. The station is owned by Prairie Public Broadcasting, and programs a format consisting of jazz, classical music and news and talk programming.-External links:*... |
Prairie Public Radio Devils Lake |
| Dickinson Dickinson, North Dakota As of the census of 2000, there were 16,010 people, 6,517 households, and 4,020 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,690.7 inhabitants per square mile . There were 7,033 housing units at an average density of 742.7 per square mile... |
89.9 | KDPR KDPR KDPR is a radio station licensed to Dickinson, North Dakota. The station is owned by Prairie Public Broadcasting, and programs a format consisting of jazz, classical music and news and talk programming.-Translators:... |
Dickinson Public Radio |
| Fargo Fargo, North Dakota Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777... |
91.9 | KDSU KDSU KDSU is a radio station licensed to Fargo, North Dakota. The station is owned by North Dakota State University and is affiliated with Prairie Public Broadcasting... |
North Dakota State University |
| Grand Forks Grand Forks, North Dakota Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461... |
89.3 | KUND-FM KUND-FM KUND-FM is a radio station licensed to Grand Forks, North Dakota. The station is owned by Prairie Public Broadcasting, and programs a format consisting of jazz, classical music and news and talk programming.-External links:*... |
University of North Dakota |
| 90.7 | KFJM KFJM KFJM is a public radio station in Grand Forks, North Dakota airing an adult album alternative format with news in the mornings, jazz in the late evenings and blues and folk on the weekends.... |
Folk and Jazz Music | |
| Jamestown Jamestown, North Dakota As of the census of 2000, there were 15,527 people, 6,505 households, and 3,798 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,246.7 per square mile . There were 6,970 housing units at an average density of 559.6 per square mile... |
91.5 | KPRJ KPRJ KPRJ is a radio station licensed to Jamestown, North Dakota. The station is owned by Prairie Public Broadcasting, and airs a format consisting of jazz, classical music and news and talk programming.-External links:*... |
Public Radio Jamestown |
| Harvey Harvey, North Dakota As of the census of 2000, there were 1,989 people, 926 households, and 529 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,031.8 people per square mile . There were 1,056 housing units at an average density of 547.8 per square mile... |
91.9 | K220FD (KMPR) | |
| Hettinger Hettinger, North Dakota As of the census of 2000, there were 1,307 people, 584 households, and 345 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,556.6 people per square mile . There were 720 housing units at an average density of 857.5 per square mile... |
91.9 | K220FG (KDPR) | |
| Lisbon Lisbon, North Dakota As of the census of 2000, there were 2,292 people, 948 households, and 571 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,019.7 people per square mile . There were 1,017 housing units at an average density of 452.4 per square mile... |
98.3 | K252EZ (KDSU) | |
| Minot Minot, North Dakota Minot is a city located in north central North Dakota in the United States. It is most widely known for the Air Force base located approximately 15 miles north of the city. With a population of 40,888 at the 2010 census, Minot is the fourth largest city in the state... |
88.9 | KMPR KMPR KMPR is a radio station licensed to Minot, North Dakota. The station is owned by Prairie Public Broadcasting, and programs a format consisting of jazz, classical music and news and talk programming.-Translators:... |
Minot Public Radio |
| Plentywood, MT Plentywood, Montana As of the census of 2000, there were 2,061 people, 857 households, and 522 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,756.1 people per square mile . There were 1,020 housing units at an average density of 869.1 per square mile... |
91.9 | K220FE (KPPW) | |
| Thief River Falls, MN Thief River Falls, Minnesota As of the census of 2000, there were 8,410 people, 3,619 households, and 2,091 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,760.0 people per square mile . There were 3,931 housing units at an average density of 822.7 per square mile... |
88.3 | K202BK (KUND-FM) | |
| Tioga Tioga, North Dakota As of the census of 2000, there were 1,125 people, 490 households, and 311 families residing in the city. The population density was 856.1 people per square mile . There were 569 housing units at an average density of 433.0 per square mile... |
91.9 | K220FH (KPPR) | |
| Wahpeton Wahpeton, North Dakota The first European explorer in the area was Jonathan Carver in 1767. He explored and mapped the Northwest at the request of Major Robert Rogers, commander of Fort Michilimackinac, the British fort at Mackinaw City, Michigan, which protected the passage between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron... |
94.7 | K234BX (KDSU) | |
| Williston Williston, North Dakota -Demographics:Preliminary data from a 2010 housing study indicates that population has grown by nearly 22 percent over the past decade; the actual increase might be much higher. Williston is in western North Dakota's booming oil patch, and adequate, affordable housing has become a concern. The... |
89.5 | KPPR KPPR KPPR is a radio station licensed to Williston, North Dakota. The station is owned by Prairie Public Broadcasting, and programs a format consisting of jazz, classical music and news and talk programming.-External links:*... |
Prairie Public Radio |
| 88.7 | KPPW KPPW KPPW is a radio station licensed to Williston, North Dakota. The station is owned by Prairie Public Broadcasting.-Translators:KPPW is relayed by two additional translator stations.-External links:*... |
Prairie Public Williston |
Prairie Public's full power stations are now broadcasting digitally (in addition to their standard analog carrier) using HD Radio
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
, with KFJM in Grand Forks being rebroadcast over these stations on their "HD-2" subchannel.
Prairie Public's eastern radio service is also carried in Winnipeg on Shaw Cable's radio system at 107.9 FM.