KNOW
Encyclopedia
KNOW-FM is the flagship
radio station
of Minnesota Public Radio
's "news and information" network, primarily broadcasting a talk radio
format to the Minneapolis-St. Paul market. The frequency had previously gone under the call sign
KSJN
, but the purchase of a commercial station at 99.5 MHz in 1991
allowed MPR to broadcast distinct talk radio and classical music services.
WLOL 1330 AM was purchased by MPR in 1980
and carried the KSJN call sign until 1989
when the KNOW letters became available. The AM signal was later spun off into a for-profit subsidiary to help fund the public broadcaster, and was eventually sold off. As of 2005
it goes under the original WLOL name.
In the 1970s, KSJN 91.1 FM and WLOL 99.5 cooperated in an experimental use of quadraphonic
stereo
, with each station carrying two channels of audio. However, this "quadcast" had some undesirable "ping-pong" effects, much like early stereo broadcasts using the same method did. Somewhat ironically, KNOW currently broadcasts primarily in monaural
as its schedule is not music-focused.
, located at 1490 kHz. The station signed off in 1989 after operating for 50 years. The Spanish station KFON
assumed the frequency in 1993.
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
of 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 "news and information" network, primarily broadcasting a talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
format to the Minneapolis-St. Paul market. The frequency had previously gone under the 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...
KSJN
KSJN
KSJN is the flagship station of Minnesota Public Radio's classical music network, serving the Twin Cities region. Prior to 1991, 99.5 was known as WLOL, best known as a top-rated CHR station during the 1980s.-KSJN intellectual unit:...
, but the purchase of a commercial station at 99.5 MHz 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....
allowed MPR to broadcast distinct talk radio and classical music services.
WLOL 1330 AM was purchased by MPR in 1980
1980 in radio
The year 1980 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:* 20 March - The pirate radio station Radio Caroline sinks.* 29 October - President Carter on a visit to Pittsburgh gives a nationally broadcast campaign interview to KDKA-AM of that city....
and carried the KSJN call sign until 1989
1989 in radio
The year 1989 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.-Events:*KMEZ breaks away from its FM sister station to adopt a business-oriented news/talk format as KDBN.*ABC Radio has acquired Satellite Music Network...
when the KNOW letters became available. The AM signal was later spun off into a for-profit subsidiary to help fund the public broadcaster, and was eventually sold off. As of 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...
it goes under the original WLOL name.
In the 1970s, KSJN 91.1 FM and WLOL 99.5 cooperated in an experimental use of quadraphonic
Quadraphonic
Quadraphonic sound – the most widely used early term for what is now called 4.0 surround sound – uses four channels in which speakers are positioned at the four corners of the listening space, reproducing signals that are independent of one another...
stereo
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
, with each station carrying two channels of audio. However, this "quadcast" had some undesirable "ping-pong" effects, much like early stereo broadcasts using the same method did. Somewhat ironically, KNOW currently broadcasts primarily in monaural
Monaural
Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or channels are fed from a common signal path...
as its schedule is not music-focused.
Austin, Texas
The callsign KNOW was also used by a major AC radio station in Austin, TexasAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, located at 1490 kHz. The station signed off in 1989 after operating for 50 years. The Spanish station KFON
KFON
KFON is an Austin, Texas, radio station, licensed to Austin, Texas, and is owned by REO Radio Group, which also owns The WORD 99.3 / 98.5, KLGO-FM in Austin...
assumed the frequency in 1993.
See also
- KCMPKCMP-WCAL:The station began with physics experiments in 1918 when five students and a professor built a small radio transmitter at St. Olaf College. Using a wire antenna strung between the campus chapel and the college's "Old Main" , signals from these experiments were picked up as far away as New...
, MPR's eclecticEclecticism in musicEclecticism is used to describe a composer's conscious use of styles alien to his nature, or from one or more historical styles. The term is also used pejoratively to describe music whose composer, thought to be lacking originality, appears to have freely drawn on other models .-Sources:* Kennedy,...
musicMusicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
station - KSJNKSJNKSJN is the flagship station of Minnesota Public Radio's classical music network, serving the Twin Cities region. Prior to 1991, 99.5 was known as WLOL, best known as a top-rated CHR station during the 1980s.-KSJN intellectual unit:...
, MPR's classical music station