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KMNV

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Coordinates:44°57′29″N93°12′24″W/ 44.95797°N 93.206767°W/44.95797; -93.206767
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected fromK239CJ)
For the airport with the ICAO code KMNV, seeMonroe County Airport (Tennessee).

KMNV
KMNV's tower near Interstate 94 in St. Paul
Broadcast areaMinneapolis-St. Paul
Frequency1400kHz
BrandingLa Raza
Programming
FormatRegional Mexican
Ownership
Owner
  • Maya Santamaria
  • (Santamaria Broadcasting, Inc.)
KMNQ
History
First air date
1936
Former call signs
WMIN (1936–1954)
WMNS (1954)
WMIN (1954–1962)
KTWN (1962–1963)
WMIN (1963–1972)
KEEY (1972–1982)
KLBB (1982–2005)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID99
ClassC
Power1,000watts
Translator(s)95.7 K239CJ (St. Paul)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
Websitelaraza1400

KMNV(1400kHz"La Raza" ) is acommercialAMradio stationlicensedtoSt. Paul, Minnesota,and serving theTwin Citiesradio market.It is owned by Santamaria Broadcasting and broadcasts aSpanish-languageradio formatfeaturingRegional Mexicanmusic with some weekday comedy shows. KMNV'sradio studiosand offices are in Richfield.[2]

KMNV is powered at 1,000wattsnon-directional.Thetransmitteris near theMississippi Riverin St. Paul. Programming is also heard onFM translatorK239CJat 95.7MHzin St. Paul.

History

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WMIN

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The stationsigned onthe air in the summer of 1936, when St. Paul furniture retailer Edward Hoffman began broadcasting at 1370 kHz.WMINwas reassigned to the 1400 kHz frequency in 1941 when theNorth American Regional Broadcasting Agreementtreaty (NARBA) was negotiated to reduce interference between American radio stations and those from other countries. NotedjazzannouncerLeigh Kammanstarted his career in broadcasting at the station around this time.

For many years, the station's transmitter and single tower have enjoyed an enviable location in the center of the metro area. Since at least the late 1970s/early 1980s, the station's technical plant has been located within a block of the city limits separating Minneapolis and St. Paul just east of the Mississippi River at 611 West Frontenac Place in St. Paul. It is plainly visible to travelers on Interstate Highway 94. The studios, at least in the 1970s and 1980s, were also located at this address.[3]

Moving into FM, TV

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WMIN set up asister station,WMIN-FMat 99.5 MHz in 1945, which operated until being purchased by the owners of AM stationWLOLand took the WLOL-FM call letters in 1956. WMIN eventually signed on another FM sister station, at102.1 MHz.

In addition to FM, WMIN went into television as well, applying for a television license in 1952 for Channel 11.WTCNradio had also applied for this frequency, so the stations arranged to divide the broadcast day between them. The stations soon merged as WTCN, which eventually became today'sKARE.

In 1954, thecall signfor 1400 AM briefly changed toWMNS,reflecting a change to afull serviceformat of adult popular music,newsandsports.The format remained, but the station returned to beingWMINlater that year. AsWDGY,WLOLandKDWBenjoyed success playingTop 40music in the late 1950s, WMIN joined the fray.

In July 1962, WMIN adopted anall-newsformat, adopting theKTWNcall letters the following November. They were changed back toWMINthe following August. In 1967, after playing somecountry musicshows for three years, the station took on the country format full-time.

The station changed its call sign again in 1972 toKEEY,to match that of itsFM sister station.KEEY-FM was a popularbeautiful musicstation in the Twin Cities. The AM station would eventually air a beautiful music format identical to its FM counterpart by 1981.

KLBB

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In 1984, the two stations were split up as KEEY-FM became the sister station ofWDGYand the AM station struck out on its own. The call letters were changed toKLBBin February 1982, with a staff consisting of many former employees ofWCCO Radio.KLBB playedadult standardsandmiddle of the roadmusic (MOR) with personalitydisc jockeys.[4]

Cargill Communications purchased KLBB in 1993, along with KBCW (1470 AM), WTCX-FM (105.1 FM) and WLOL-FM (105.3) for the basis of a proposedalternative rockstation, soon to become known as "REV105".The new owners were uncomfortable with dropping the much-loved MOR format of KLBB, so they kept it, updated the music, imaging, promotion and logo of the station, and simulcast KLBB's programming on1470 AMinBrooklyn Parkto improve signal coverage to the north and west. The WLOL call letters (well known in the market from their original homes on1330 AMand99.5 FM) were retained by the company and moved from 105.3 FM to 1470.[5]

Sale to MPR

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KLBB, along with WLOL, eventually separated once again from their FM sisters. James and Susan Cargill, who had also acquired a third FM station at 105.7, sold all three of the FM stations that made up REV105 toABC Radio,owners ofKQRS-FMandKEGE.In 1999, the Cargills donated both KLBB and WLOL (soon to be renamedKLBP) toMinnesota Public Radio,where the two frequencies became part of the for-profit Minnesota News Network (MNN). The stations continued the adult standards/MOR format. In 2004, MPR sold off MNN and the statewide network's flagship AM station,WMNN,but retained KLBB and KLBP for the time being.[6]

By now, the "Club 14" simulcast was carrying a mix of local personalities and the "Music Of Your Life"radio network.The two stations were operated asThe KLBB Company,a for-profitsubsidiaryof theGreenspring Company,which, like MPR, were under the umbrella of theAmerican Public Media Group.[7]

KLBB sold again, becomes KMNV

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MPR announced on May 25, 2005, that it had reached an agreement to sell both KLBB and KLBP toDavidson Media Group,aNew York-based broadcaster specializing in multi-cultural, community focused formats. Thereafter, KLBB flipped to aSpanish-languageformat, while the format on KLBP remained MOR until July 17, 2006, when it switched to anurban gospelsound with the KZTG (later KRJJ) call letters. The sale of both stations was approved by the FCC on July 25, 2005, with Davidson taking control on September 7.

KLBB finally transitioned to its long-promised Spanish-language format on November 4, 2005, leaving the Adult Standards/Big Band format on sister station KLBP and bringing to an end the long-time Club 14 simulcast. TheKMNVcall letters were introduced to AM 1400 on December 16, 2005, just months after its switch to Regional Mexican, while the KLBB call letters moved to sister station AM 1470. The station also airs Spanish language broadcasts of theMinnesota Twinsbaseballteam.

Davidson Media sold KMNV and sister stationKMNQto Santamaria Broadcasting, Inc. effective May 5, 2016, at a purchase price of $1.2 million. KMNV and KMNQ added anFM translatoron 95.7 FM in early 2017. It broadcasts from the KMNV tower. For a while, the station split its programming from KMNQ. KMNQ went on to broadcast a variety format with no imaging, before going off air for nearly a year. KMNQ returned to simulcasting KMNV when it returned to air.[8]

Whereabouts of former callsigns

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Following 1470's switch to gospel music, the KLBB call letters and much of its programming were picked up byStillwater-basedWMGT (1220 AM)on July 25, 2006.

The formerWMINcall sign was located for many years at1030 AM,then at 740 AM in the Twin Cities until the call sign was picked up by AM 1010 inSauk Rapids, Minnesota.KEEY-FMcontinues with those call letters at 102.1 FM, with a country format.

George Floyd protests

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In 2020, duringprotestsover themurder of George Floyd,the station was knocked off the air on May 27 due to area power outages. During the overnight hours of May 28 to 29, the building it shared with the El Nuevo Rodeo restaurant and other business in a formerOdd Fellows Hallat 27th Avenue South and East Lake Street in Minneapolis, was burned down in anarsonrelated to rioting in the area. A week later, it returned to the air with the assistance ofKFAI,utilizing its studio facilities.[9] [10]

References

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  1. ^"Facility Technical Data for KMNV".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^Kelly, Joe (September 15, 2020)."Latino radio station La Raza opening new studios after destructive fire in May unrest".TwinCities.Pioneer Press.RetrievedMarch 31,2021.
  3. ^Jeanne Andersen (June 14, 2019)."WMIN".Twin Cities Music Highlights.RetrievedApril 16,2024.
  4. ^Jon Ellis (July 23, 2022)."Broadcast History: The Sound of Twin Cities AM Radio in 1994".Northpine.
  5. ^"Newsline".Billboard Magazine.January 15, 1994. p. 64.
  6. ^Nicole Garrison-Sprenger (May 25, 2005)."MPR to sell KLBB, KLBP".The Business Journal.
  7. ^Duncan, J (1999).American Radio. United States.Vol. 24.Google Books:J. Duncan.
  8. ^Jon Ellis (November 23, 2021)."North Twin Cities Metro Station Splits from Longtime Simulcast".Northpine.
  9. ^Ellis, Jon (May 29, 2020)."Radio Station Among Businesses Destroyed During Demonstrations".Northpine.RetrievedMay 29,2020.
  10. ^"La Raza 95.7 Studios Destroyed in Minneapolis Protests".Radio Insight.May 29, 2020.RetrievedApril 16,2024.
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44°57′29″N93°12′24″W/ 44.95797°N 93.206767°W/44.95797; -93.206767

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