Radio with fewer boundaries: KFAI will increase its power in September

In a recent posting on their website, KFAI, the long-running community radio station on the West Bank of Minneapolis, announced on their website that their proposal to increase broadcast power has been approved by the FCC.

The project, which will be completed Sept. 1, includes a new directional antenna in Minneapolis that will increase broadcast range as far south as Apple Valley and north into the Minneapolis suburbs. KFAI will also install a new digital translator in St. Paul to replace the old failing one that has been operating at 70 percent power, which will clarify the reception in St. Paul.

Also approved by the FCC was a request to transition both signals at 90.3 in Minneapolis and 106.7 in St. Paul to digital. KFAI produced a map for listeners showing the new range of their transmitters.

KFAI is a community-run radio station staffed by mostly volunteers that has broadcast in Minneapolis for over 30 years. Hourly shows are hosted by people from the community and cover such diverse subjects as punk, bluegrass, and blues, as well as shows tackling public policy like Democracy Now!. KFAI also maintains a small newsroom that compiles hourly updates in the afternoons as well as a nightly show on the weekdays. KFAI is an affiliate of the Pacifica Radio network and member of the Independent Public Radio, a network of community stations in Minnesota. Funding is acquired through listener donations, as well as a variety of grants.

[Disclosure: I formerly interned in the news department at KFAI]