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| Broadcast area | Minneapolis-Saint Paul |
| Frequency | 91.1MHz (HD Radio) |
| RDS | PI: DDDF PS: MPR News RT: Program by Host |
| Branding | Minnesota Public Radio News |
| Programming | |
| Format | Public Radio -News - Talk |
| Subchannels | HD2: "Radio Heartland" (Folk) HD3:BBC World Service (News/Talk) |
| Affiliations | National Public Radio American Public Media Public Radio Exchange BBC World Service |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Minnesota Public Radio |
| History | |
First air date | July 1, 1967; 58 years ago (1967-07-01) |
Former call signs | KSJN (1967–1989) |
Call sign meaning | the word"know" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 42949 |
| Class | C0 |
| ERP | 100,000watts |
| HAAT | 388.5 meters (1,275 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 45°03′43.90″N93°08′21.80″W / 45.0621944°N 93.1393889°W /45.0621944; -93.1393889 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | www |
KNOW-FM (91.1MHz) is theflagshipradio station ofMinnesota Public Radio's news and information network. It islicensed toSaint Paul and serves theMinneapolis-Saint Paulradio market. The station isnon-commercial and listener-supported. The studios are in the MPR Broadcast Center on Cedar Street indowntown Saint Paul.
KNOW-FM is aClass C0 FM station. It has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000watts, the maximum for most FM stations. Thetransmitter is on theTelefarm Towers inShoreview.[2]
KNOW-FM carries a mix of local and national public radio news and information programs. On weekdays, it airsMorning Edition,All Things Considered,Fresh Air,1A,On Point,The World,Marketplace and from theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation, it runsAs It Happens. At noon, a local news and interview show is heard,Minnesota Now. The MPR staff anchors frequent news updates throughout the day, along with an hour of local news at 9 a.m.
On weekends, specialty shows are heard. They includeThe Moth Radio Hour,Reveal,The Splendid Table,Latino USA,On The Media,Freakonomics Radio,This Old House Radio Hour,The New Yorker Radio Hour,This American Life,Radiolab,Hidden Brain, It's Been A Minute,Snap Judgement,Live Wire andWait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. TheBBC World Service runs all night.
KNOW-FM broadcasts usingHD Radio technology. Its HD2digital subchannel offers "Radio Heartland," afolk andAmericana music service. HD3 carries theBBC World Service.
The stationsigned on the air on July 1, 1967; 58 years ago (1967-07-01).[3] Its originalcall sign was KSJN-FM. It was owned bySaint John's University, with the call letters standing for St. John. It was powered at 16,500 watts, a fraction of its current output. The university also owned a station near its home base ofSt. Cloud, 90.1KSJR-FM. Trying to run two radio stations was difficult for the Catholic university. It transferred both stations to a non-profit organization that later became Minnesota Public Radio.
In 1980, Minnesota Public Radio purchased anAM radio station at 1330kHz,WLOL. MPR changed its call sign to KSJN and used it tosimulcast its FMsister station, 91.1 KSJN-FM. MPR was already making plans to run two different networks of programming when it bought the AM frequency. In that era, 91.1 KSJN-FM had to serve two audiences at the same time. It offered NPR news and information shows in morning and afternoondrive time, with mostlyclassical music in middays, nights and weekends.
In 1989, KSJN-AM changed its call letters to KNOW, to stand for the word "know." It began airing an expanded lineup of NPR programming, including shows that were not available on the FM's schedule. Two years later, MPR bought 99.5 FM-–the former WLOL-FM. With that acquisition, MPR moved the KNOW call letters and informational programming to 91.1, while the KSJN-FM call sign moved to 99.5 as a full-time classical music station. The AM signal was later spun off into a for-profit subsidiary to help fund the public broadcaster, and was eventually sold. That station has since returned to using the WLOL call sign and it airsCatholicreligious programming.
With MPR's two FM frequencies in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market, listeners can choose between news and information on 91.1 KNOW-FM and classical music on 99.5 KSJN-FM. A third station in the area was also acquired by MPR, 89.3KCMP inNorthfield, which playsadult album alternative (Triple-A) music.
In the 1970s, KSJN 91.1 FM andWLOL (99.5 FM) cooperated in an experimental use ofquadraphonicstereo, with each station carrying two channels of audio. However, this "quadcast" had some undesirable "ping-pong" effects. As KNOW now mainly broadcasts spoken word programming, the station broadcasts in analog, usingmonaural audio, to help extend the station's coverage.
The call sign KNOW was once used by anadult contemporary radio station inAustin, Texas, at 1490 AM. The stationsigned off in 1989 after operating for 50 years. The KNOW call letters were also used by anoldies station inLufkin, Texas, at 1420 AM. A fire forced it to shut down in 1987.
KNOW-FM broadcasts usingHD Radio technology. Its HD2digital subchannel is "Radio Heartland." It has aplaylist ofacoustic,singer-songwriter,folk andAmericana music.[4] The service launched in December 2008.[5]
Radio Heartland's schedule also includes the programsAmerican Routes fromAmerican Public Media as well asThe Thistle & Shamrock andMountain Stage fromNPR. These additional shows were added to Radio Heartland's schedule in November 2009.[6]
The HD3 subchannel airs theBBC World Service around the clock.
45°03′43″N93°08′20″W / 45.062°N 93.139°W /45.062; -93.139