KCMP
Encyclopedia
WCAL
The station began with physicsPhysics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
experiments in 1918 when five students and a professor built a small radio transmitter at St. Olaf College. Using a wire antenna
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
strung between the campus chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
and the college's "Old Main" (the tallest nearby building), signals from these experiments were picked up as far away as New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Eventually, the college gained the call sign 9YAJ for the experimental station. Later, on May 6, 1922
1922 in radio
The year 1922 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting history.-Events:*8 February: President of the United States, Warren G. Harding introduces the first radio in the White House....
, the college was granted an AM radio license and the WCAL call sign. They would broadcast two programs per week during the school year at 770 kHz in the AM band. One notable achievement by the station in the next few years was the broadcast of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
, apparently the first time a play had been broadcast on radio.
In 1924
1924 in radio
The year 1924 saw a number of significant happenings in radio broadcasting history.-Events:*15 January – The world's first radio play, Danger by Richard Hughes, is broadcast by the British Broadcasting Company from its studios in London....
, a financial crunch meant that the station might be forced to close down. The St. Olaf senior class and local newspaper, The Northfield News, campaigned for donations. Money came in from across 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 several nearby states. This made WCAL the first listener-supported station in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. From 1928
1928 in radio
The year 1928 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.-Events:*1 January: Algemeene Vereeniging Radio Omroep begins broadcasting in the Netherlands....
-circa 1954
1954 in radio
The year 1954 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*1 February: KECA and KECA-FM, both in Los Angeles, change call letters to KABC and KABC-FM, reflecting their owners, ABC-United Paramount Theaters....
, WCAL was entirely listener-supported and received no direct financial support from St. Olaf College. In 1949
1949 in radio
The year 1949 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting history.-Events:*1 April – The facilities and staff of the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland are transferred to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation....
, the station's card file held the names and addresses of over 60,000 donors. The station's AM signal was heard as far as the western United States, Mexico, Florida, Alaska and Canada.
The station first experimented with FM broadcasts in 1948
1948 in radio
The year 1948 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.-Events:*22 March: The Voice of Firestone becomes the first radio program to be aired on both AM and FM radio stations....
, but didn't begin regular broadcasts until the 89.3 MHz signal was allocated in 1967. A few years later in 1971
1971 in radio
The year 1971 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*2 January: A ban on radio and television cigarette advertisements goes into effect in the United States.*14 February: All of ABC Radio's FM stations change call letters, all on the same day:...
, WCAL became one of 90 founding members of National Public Radio organized by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress, funded by the United States’ federal government to promote public broadcasting...
.
Twenty-four hour broadcasts began in 1984
1984 in radio
The year 1984 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:* June 18 - Controversial KOA/Denver radio talk show host Alan Berg gunned down in driveway of his home.* Sports writer Ralph Barbieri joined KNBR to host his own sports talk show....
, and a new 100 kilowatt transmitter went online in 1991
1991 in radio
The year 1991 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:* January 18 - Brian Beirne became one of the few celebrities from radio to get a "star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame....
, meaning that the station could be picked up across most of the Twin Cities region (Northfield is on the southern edge of the area). The transmitter was placed on land owned by the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in exchange for WCAL turning over its 770 AM frequency, which had been shared with KUOM
KUOM
KUOM, known as "770 Radio K", "Real College Radio" is a college radio station operated by the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Likely the oldest station in the state, Radio K broadcasts an eclectic mix of music from its transmitters—a variety that has been praised by radio critics...
for many years. Because 770 is an FCC-defined clear-channel frequency occupied by fulltime station WABC
WABC (AM)
WABC , known as "NewsTalkRadio 77 WABC" is a radio station in New York City. Owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media, the station broadcasts on a clear channel and is the flagship station of Cumulus Media Networks...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, it couldn't be used by other stations at night; as daytime-only stations, WCAL and KUOM each broadcast an average of about six hours per day. The shutdown of WCAL-AM allowed KUOM to broadcast the maximum amount of time allowed by the license.
WCAL's radio format
Radio format
A radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve...
focused on European classical music radio programming
Radio programming
Radio programming is the Broadcast programming of a Radio format or content that is organized for Commercial broadcasting and Public broadcasting radio stations....
and related musical genres. The "Christmas at St. Olaf" program was one of several annual events that have been broadcast by the station. Over the years, the station regularly broadcast religious
Religious broadcasting
Religious broadcasting refers to broadcasting by religious organizations, usually with a religious message. Many religious organizations have long recorded content such as sermons and lectures, and have moved into distributing content on their Internet websites.While this article emphasises...
services, and expanded them into a number of different languages. Another first that WCAL takes credit for is the first play-by-play broadcast of a sporting event. The station eventually became affiliated with AMPERS, the independent
Independent Radio
Independent radio indicates a radio station that is run in a manner different from usual for the country it broadcasts in. In countries where there exist government-run radio stations that served as the primary or only the variety of licensed broadcaster, the term independent radio generally means...
public radio network in Minnesota.
On August 11, 2004
2004 in radio
The year 2004 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting history.-Events:*30 October - In the UK a 163-metre-high radio mast at Peterborough collapses in a fire.-Debuts:...
, St. Olaf College announced that it had decided to sell WCAL in order to enhance the institution's endowment
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
. At least eleven offers were reportedly received, but apparently only two were presented to the Board of Regents, including one from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
-based EMF Broadcasting, a non-commercial religious broadcaster which originates the K-Love
K-LOVE
K-LOVE is a Contemporary Christian music radio programming service in the United States operated by the Educational Media Foundation. As of January 2011, K-LOVE's programming is carried on over 440 FM stations and translators in 45 states. K-LOVE claims an audience of 250,000 people each week via...
network.
St. Olaf announced in August
August 2004
August 2004: January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December-Events:August 2004: January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December...
that it had decided to sell to Minnesota Public Radio. MPR had made a bid for WCAL as early as 1971, shortly after NPR's formation. The station was now even more attractive to MPR, as it was the most powerful noncommercial signal in the state that wasn't a part of the MPR network. This prompted the formation of a group known as SaveWCAL that attempted to halt the sale to MPR. SaveWCAL argued that the station was a charitable trust held by St. Olaf, and the college should have at least asked a judge for permission to dissolve the trust before selling it to MPR. These efforts were unsuccessful.
The sale agreement for WCAL/KMSE was finalized by St. Olaf College and Minnesota Public Radio on Friday, November 19, 2004
2004 in radio
The year 2004 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting history.-Events:*30 October - In the UK a 163-metre-high radio mast at Peterborough collapses in a fire.-Debuts:...
. The station ceased broadcasting from its Northfield studios at 10 p.m. two days later, and began 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...
ing Minnesota Public Radio's classical music stream. The two-day delay allowed for final broadcasts of Sunday religious services. A few WCAL employees were hired by MPR and some changes were made to MPR's classical music service in an attempt to appeal to former WCAL listeners. On February 1, 2005
2005 in radio
The year 2005 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*April 29 - KFRC 610 AM in San Francisco, switches formats as a result of ownership change. KFRC becomes KEAR, the "Sound of the New Life", a listener-supported, gospel/religious only station. It had been previously KFRC from...
, the "WCAL" call sign was sold by MPR to the student-run college radio station of California University of Pennsylvania. http://wcal.cup.edu/http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=0&facid=63559
Continued activism from SaveWCAL, however, resulted in a state district court judge characterizing the transaction http://minnesotaindependent.com/view/donors-group-demands as an illegal sale of a charitable trust by an irresponsible trustee http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2008/06/judge_in_wcal_c.php. SaveWCAL has since requested that the Minnesota Attorney General's office to declare the sale void http://savewcal.net/2008/06/12/savewcal-demands-ag-enforce-minnesota-law/ and filed a Petition To Redress Breach of Trust http://savewcal.net/2008/09/25/savewcal-files-petition-redress-breach-trust/ in Rice County District Court on September 24, 2008. However, in 2009, another court ruled that SaveWCAL had waited too long to go to court.http://blogs.citypages.com/gimmenoise/2009/12/appeals_court_r.php
Current "Current" personalities
- Barb Abney
- David Campbell
- Bill DeVille
- Jacquie Fuller
- Lindsay Kimball
- Mary LuciaMary LuciaMary Lucia is an on-air radio personality who currently hosts a weekday drive time music show for Minnesota Public Radio station 89.3 The Current in St...
- Jill RileyJill Riley (MPR)Jill Riley is an American disc jockey for 89.3 The Current in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. She previously worked for KVSC-FM, the Saint Cloud State University college and community radio station. While she attended SCSU, she was KVSC's production director and assistant news director.Up until 2006,...
- David Safar
- Steve SeelSteve SeelSteve Seel is an American disc jockey for 89.3 The Current in the Twin Cities, Minnesota.Seel began his radio career at WUSF in Tampa, FL as a classical music host before moving to WNED-FM in Buffalo, NY where he hosted weekday afternoons and also created the experimental music program Present Tense...
- Jade Tittle
- Mark WheatMark WheatMark Wheat is an English disc jockey working at the Minnesota Public Radio station KCMP where he provides one of the outlet's unique voices because of his accent. Wheat grew up in the small town of Clenchwarton, near King's Lynn, Norfolk, England, where he dreamed of becoming a radio host while...
- Mac Wilson
External links
- 89.3 The Current official website
- MPR: KNOW 91.1/KSJN 99.5/KCMP 89.3 Minneapolis/St. Paul
- Minniwiki-The MN Music Wiki
- SaveWCAL: The story of the first listener supported radio station in the USA: weblog of a group opposed to St. Olaf College's selling of the WCAL charitable trust assets
- Norwegian-American Historical Association (NAHA) - search "WCAL" collection of historical files related to WCAL (list of documents only; records are not online)
- Norwegian-American Historical Association (NAHA) collection of historical files related to WCAL (list of documents only; records are not online)