All press inquiries and requests for interviews with Radio K should be directed to Radio K's Marketing Director Jesse Purvey at (612) 625-8322 or via email at marketing@radiok.org.

Photos

Request photos of Radio K staff and studio facilities for publication: Marisa Wojcik radiokphoto@gmail.com

Press Releases

November 2011

• Radio K celebrates 200 instudio videos. More
• Radio K premieres new album from San-Francisco based band Thee Oh Sees for 24 hours on November 14. More

Press Mentions

Twin Cities Metro

• Radio K in Twin Cities Metro Magazine

Vita.mn

• vita.mn @work profiles Jon Schober, Radio K Music Director
• Radio K Goes 24/7 On FM

  "The University of Minnesota's student radio station, Radio K, is about as essential to campus as Goldy Gopher"

City Pages

• 3 Questions with Chuck from Cosmic Slop
• Radio K taking over the FM dial

CMJ

• Radio K Hits Full Frequency

Decider

• Interview: Jon Nelson of Escape Mechanism
• Postcard from SXSW: March 18, part 1
• Video: Sunset, Anni Rossi live at Radio K's SXSW studio
• Video: All The Saints live at Radio K's SXSW studio

KARE 11 - TV

• University of Minnesota's Radio K moves to FM

Minnesota Daily

• Klosterman and Maerz: two hipsters say "I do"
• Radio K turns 15
• Radio K Switches, Now Easier to Find

New York Post

• The Groovy Twin - How Minneapolis Became an Arts Powerhouse

Pitchfork

• Furnaces, Johnston, Final Fantasy, APTBS on Comp
• Lightning Dust: Various Songs (Live on Radio K)

Prefix Mag

• Handsome Furs: Legal Tender (New Song Live at Radio K) (Video)

Pioneer Press

• University of Minnesota's Radio K moves to FM

Star Tribune

• Radio K goes 24/7/365

Stereogum

• New Live Handsome Furs - "Legal Tender" & "Thy Will Be Done"
• New Magnolia Electric Co. - "Rider.Shadow.Wolf"
• Holy Fuck – "SHT MTN," "Stay Lit," & "Latin America" (Live At Radio K)

WCCO - TV

• University Of Minnesota's Radio K Moves To FM

University of Minnesota Moment

• U of M's unique Radio K

History

1912

• Radio transmissions at the university date to 1912, when a professor named F.W. Springer began experimenting with broadcasts, though he probably just used a spark gap transmitter. Activities were suspended by World War I, but electrical engineering professor C.M. Jansky, Jr. was doing broadcasting again by 1920

1915

• The first U of M football games are broadcasted in Morse code

1920

• The University of Minnesota receives license for experimental radio station 9XI. Radiotelephone broadcasts began that fall with agricultural market reports, weather forecasts and concerts among the regularly scheduled programs. Initial broadcasts originated in the electrical engineering building on the Minneapolis campus, where a transmitter was mounted on the roof.

1922

• The University received the first radio broadcasting license in the state of Minnesota on January 13, 1922 for the call sign WLB. The station is the 10th oldest station still on the air, beating out WHA at the University of Wisconsin Madison by a few hours. That also makes Radio K the oldest licensed non-commercial broadcast station in the country.

1930s-40s

• In the 1930s and 1940s, the station broadcast a considerable amount of educational material and was used for distance learning — a practice that continued into the 1990s.

1936

• Studios and facilities were moved from the electrical engineering building to Eddy Hall.

1945

• The station call letters are changed from WLB to KUOM.

1946

• A polio epidemic in 1946 that resulted in temporary school closings and the cancellation of the Minnesota State Fair led the station to create programming for children who were homebound. Minnesota School of the Air, as it was called, designed with the aid of teachers, substituted for the closed schools. Minnesota School of the Air continued into the 1980s, offering supplementary programming for in-school listening by elementary students. Those programs, along with others broadcast in the 1940s, were recognized for their importance and led to several awards being given to the station.

1948

• Another station, WMMR (which would later merge with KUOM to form Radio K), was created on campus in 1948, with studios in Coffman Memorial Union. Focused on providing a service for the student body, it originally broadcast via carrier current on campus, using the frequency 730 AM (hence the oft-used tag-line "Radio 73") This was an entirely student-run operation, relying on volunteers. The station reaches five dormitories on the U campus.

1955

• WMMR begins to sell commercial air time. The going rate: $4.50 a minute.

1959

• WMMR’s dormitory listenership reaches 48%

1960s

• By the mid-60's through the end of its life, WMMR tried to emulate the management structure of a typical AM rocker of the day, with an appointed General Manager, Program Director, Music Director, and other management positions. From time to time, somebody actually sold an advertising slot, but the station more or less maintained itself using a small stipend from the Speech Communications department. Even then, the volunteers managed to put out programming for nearly 18 hours a day most days of the school year, and taught many a student the ins and outs of how to operate a studio. A news and sports operation broadcast daily reports, and the basketball, football and hockey programs were usually broadcast with live play-by-play. A number of live broadcasts from the Whole Music Club and the Great Hall at the union also took place, and the station served to promote other campus events such as the "Campus Carny" held annually in the old field house. Garrison Keillor, the well-known host of Minnesota Public Radio's A Prairie Home Companion, began his radio career broadcasting classical music on WMMR as a student in the early 1960s. He then worked at KUOM from 1963 to 1968.

1962

• WMMR adopts format of half classical music and half rock music
• KUOM Program Guide from 1962
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

1968

• In January 1968, WMMR is ordered shut down by the University’s Board of Governors due to financial reasons. However late that summer, with the help of University President Malcolm Moos, the station returns to the air. Rock music dominates the format. Soon after returning to the air, WMMR also covers that year’s presidential elections as part of an eight-station organization, which included live coverage of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
  
  

1969

• KUOM introduces a whole series of programs by, for and about disadvantaged groups including On the Black Side, Echoes en Español, Indian News and Equal Voice: A Women’s Forum. These programs lasted until 1984.

1970

• WMMR becomes an important national news source on campus strikes and protests during the Vietnam War.
  
  
  
  
  
   

1973

• KUOM begins Scope, the first hour-long noncommercial news program on Twin Cities radio. Scope continues until 1985 when the format changes.
• Also in 1973, KUOM began broadcasts classes for credit in cooperation with the U of M’s Department of Independent Study. Early programs were simply lectures taped in the classroom. Later programs were specially produced for radio and, beginning in 1985, included a call-in component. The program lasted until 1991.

1974

• The KUOM studios were moved again, this time to the 6th floor of the Rarig Center just across the Mississippi River on the West Bank.

1981

• WMMR is programmed as a Top 40 station. Listenership is on the rise. The students in charge go on to run commercial Top 40 station WLOL.

1984

• WMMR format is changed to College/Alternative. Listenership plummets.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• KUOM adopts call-in format to make use of the expertise of University faculty. Each program has a subject matter expert or two, usually at least one a University professor. Topics areas included current events, political and social issues, the arts, and practical topics such as gardening, home maintenance, etc. The format change was made at the direction of the University administration, which ordered KUOM to "stop duplicating" programming heard on other Twin Cities' noncommercial stations, notably Minnesota Public Radio. This style of program continues until 1993.
• 1987 KARE-TV Report on KUOM-AM
• 1987 KARE-TV Report on WMMR-AM

1986

• KARE 11 TV Report on KUOM-AM

1988

• Technical problems, including the main audio board catching fire, knock WMMR off the air. All problems are eventually fixed, but listenership drops to single digits.

1991

• For nearly 70 years, WLB and later KUOM time-shared the already daytime-restricted 770 kHz frequency with WCAL of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, so each station averaged just about six hours of programming each day. The University of Minnesota eventually made an agreement with St. Olaf where WCAL would get land for a powerful FM transmitter on U of M land near Rosemount, Minnesota in exchange for the shutdown of WCAL's AM transmitter so that KUOM could transmit exclusively on the frequency during the day. The agreement came to fruition in 1991.

1993

• Radio K is born. In the early 1990s, after a great deal of lobbying by WMMR General Manager Jim Musil — who also designed the purple Radio K logo of the time— the university began to examine the idea of merging WMMR and KUOM. The university explained the transition to a music format by saying that most of the educational value of KUOM had been superseded by other media outlets by this time.
• The transition finally took place in 1993, and the station started broadcasting as "Radio K" on October 1 that year. The first song ever played on Radio K was “Do You Remember Rock n Roll Radio?” by The Ramones. To avoid the lack of direction found at some college music stations, the new "Radio K" had a small full-time staff to oversee operations and provide a certain level of continuity, while students would provide much of the on-air talent while going through their radio studies. It is a training ground for students, programming alternative rock and other materials of interest to a student age audience. The station is given a three-year trial period to prove itself.

1994

• Radio K’s website, RadioK.org, launches

1996

• A Review Committee established by the Dean of Continuing Education and Extension recommends Radio K be continued indefinitely and the University continue to provide financial support for the station.
• Twin Cities Reader article about Radio K

1997

• K launches its innovative BuyaWatt program to generate listener financial support. The station also begins streaming its programming on the Internet using RealAudio technology.

1998

• In April, Radio K conducts its first PowerSurge on-air listener fundraiser.
• Radio K Commercial (2000)

2005

• Radio K Online Tour
• In the summer, translator station W264BR begins re-broadcasting KUOM-FM and KDXL-FM from the KUOM-AM tower in Falcon Heights.
• The August 2005 Rolling Stone issue features an article on "Schools that Rock" naming Radio K the reason that the University of Minnesota rocks. (Click here to view the gallery)
  
  
   

2007

• Radio K changes its trademark purple logo to a new, modern blue design and also changes its slogan from “Real College Radio” to the new “Where Music Matters Most”
  
  
  
  
   

2009

• A 99-watt translator located at 104.5 FM goes live. It is located near Radio-K's studios in the Rarig Center on the West Bank Minneapolis campus of the University of Minnesota.
• October 3, 2009 - Radio K goes on the FM 24 hours per day at 104.5 FM and 100.7 FM
  Hear the FM 24/7 announcement:
• Radio K FM 24/7 Kare 11 News Report

2010

• Radio K Studio Tour 2010
• Station tour proves radio is not dead - MN Daily - 9/27/2010

Radio K now regularly receives accolades from local newspapers and magazines, especially the weekly City Pages which has consistently ranked the station among the best for music in the region. Pitchfork Media founder Ryan Schreiber also commonly cites the station's influence as having been an integral factor in his decision to start an online publication dedicated to the coverage of independent music. The station receives about 120 new recordings each month which are filtered through a large group of reviewers and disc jockeys. Recordings that pass muster are added to a large playlist that is constantly updated, and on-air DJs use the list for about 60% of the music played while choosing the rest on their own.

2011

• President Kaler was on Radio K's Rock 'n Roll Over to celebrate back to school and his inauguration week!  He had never been to the the "penthouse" level of Rarig, (i.e the 6th floor), and Todd played his favorite song of all time, "Luckenbach, Texas" by Waylon Jennings.
  

2012

• Radio K Celebrates 100 Years of Putting R-A-D in Radio
• Radio K alum Andrew LaValle assembled Radio K history storyboards featuring cool and interesting items of significance from our past in celebration of our 100 year anniversary. Enjoy and long live the K! 

Awards

2012

• Inaugural College Radio Day Outstanding Leadership
  College Rado Day organization 

2011

• Best Local Music Broadcast - Radio K's Off the Record
  City Pages
• 2011 CMJ (College Music Journal) Music and Film Festival Nominations:
  • Best Student-Run Station
  • Best Community Resource
  • Best Champion of the Local Scene
  • Outstanding Leadership in College Radio: Caleigh Souhan and Jon Schober
• Best Radio Station (#3) - Lists of Lists 2011
  Vita.MN
  

2010

• Nomination for Best Feature: Sarah Boden's “Women and Bikes?”
  CBI (College Broadcasters, Inc) Student Production Awards
• Winner: Best Student Sports Reporting: “Skijoring”
  CBI (College Broadcasters, Inc) Student Production Awards
• Best Radio Station Nominee
  CMJ
• Best Student-Run Radio Station Nominee
  CMJ
• Top 40 Best Little Radio Stations in the U.S.
  Paste Magazine
• Best Radio Station
  City Pages

2009

• Mark of Excellence Award
  (Society of Professional Journalists
  • News Reporting, 1st place: “Cedar-riverside shooting” (Reporter Sarah Boden)
  • News Reporting, 3rd  place: “DTV” (Reporter Ron Miller)
  • Feature, 3rd Place: “Safe Cigarette Reactions” (Reporter Sarah Boden)
  • In- Depth Reporting, 3rd place: “Pioneer of Broadcasting: KUOM” (Reporter Ron Miller)
  • Sports Reporting, 1st place: “Gopher Football 2008” (Reporter Marco LaNave)
  • Sports Reporting, 2nd place: “Hot Start: Gopher Basketball” (Reporter Marco LaNave)
• Eric Sevareid Award
  (Northwest Broadcast News Association)
  • News Cast: “Live from the Minnesota State Fair” (Reporters Ron Miller and Ryan Wilson)
  • Documentary/ Special: “Solar Car Adventure” (Reporter Ron Miller)
  • Spot News: “Cedar Riverside Shooting” (Reporter Sarah Boden)
• CBI (College Broadcasters, Inc) Student Production Awards
  • Winner: Best Student Media Website
  • Finalist: Best Station Promotion

2008

• Minnesota Associated Press Awards
  (Class 1 – Stations with 0 or 1 full time reporters)
  • Feature: "Combine Demolition Derby" (Reporter Ron Miller)
  • Series/Special: "Radio K News: At the Minnesota State Fair" (Reporter Ron Miller)
  • Documentary/Investigative: "Remembering December 7th" (Reporter Lee Vandenbusch)

• Eric Sevareid Award
  Northwest Broadcast News Association
  • Talk/Public Affairs: "Remembering December 7th" (Reporter, Lee Vandenbusch)

2007

• Best Student Group
  Grape Vine Award (Minnesota Daily)
• Collegiate Broadcasters Incorporated National Awards
  • Best sports reporting: "Alex Daniels Feature" (finalist)
  • Best Student Media Website: RadioK.org (finalist)

2006

• Media Best Awards: Minnesota Broadcasters Association
  • Commercial Spot
  • Hard News Feature
  • Potpourri
  • Public Service Announcement
  • Soft News Feature
  • Sports
  • Station Promotion
• Maroon Award
  University of Minnesota Communicators Forum
• Collegiate Broadcasters Incorporated National Awards
  • Best sports reporting: "Zach Puchtel" (finalist)
  • Best regularly scheduled program: "Robots with Tears" (finalist)
  • Best DJ: Geoff Thaden (finalist)

2005

• Best Radio Station
  Grape Vine Award (Minnesota Daily)
• Media Best Awards
  Minnesota Broadcasters Association
  • Commercial Spot
  • Station Promotion

2004

• Best Hip Hop Program (The Beat Box)
  City Pages, readers' choice
• Best AM Radio Personality (Mark Wheat)
  City Pages, readers' choice

2002

• Best Radio Station
  City Pages, readers' choice
• Best Rap Program (The Beat Box)
  City Pages, readers' choice
• Champions Award
  Emergency Food Shelf Network
• Eric Sevareid Award
  Northwest Broadcast News Association
  • First Place: Feature "Firefighters"
  • Award of Merit: Audio "Critical Mass"
  • Award of Merit: Series "EMO Review"
• Page One Award
  Society of Professional Journalists
• First Place
  Radio "Maroon and Gold Memories"

2001

• Best Rap Program (The Beat Box)
  City Pages, readers' choice
• Q Award
  Minneapolis Committee on Urban Environment

2000

• Best Radio Station
  City Pages, readers' choice and critics' choice
• Best Rap Program (The Beat Box)
  City Pages, critics' choice
• Station of the Year
  Association of Minnesota Public/Educational Radio Stations
• Minnesota Music Award, Best Specialty Recording for Stuck on AM II: Live Performances on 770 Radio K

1999

• Best Radio Station
  City Pages, readers' choice
• Clarion Award
  American Women in Radio and Television

1994

• Best Radio Station in the Twin Cities
  City Pages
• Best Rock Station
  Twin Cities Reader
• Station of the Year
  Association of Minnesota Public/Educational Radio Stations
• Runner Up, Station of the Year
  Fourth National College Radio Awards

Volunteer of the Month

The Radio K Volunteer of the Month Award is given to a volunteer who exhibits an outstanding commitment to Radio K. We greatly appreciate the work of these volunteers and all volunteers as we educate students and break ground in musical and cultural programming.

February 2012: Meagan Manning

"Despite being a PhD student and teaching undergrad courses, Meagan still finds time in her busy schedule to volunteer regularly at the K. Many of you may not know this, but Meagan has devoted several hours each week since early last semester to work at the front desk. That's dedication. Meagan is also a top-notch DJ who you can hear on the air every Monday morning. Keep up the great work, Meagan!"
-Rachel Dorn

January 2012: Charlotte Lerner

"Charlotte Lerner has been volunteering at Radio K since October 2011. She has done an exceptional job representing Membership at the SAV meetings, assisting me in all phases of Membership and with helping me organize the Pledge Drive. Charlotte also in the midst of DJ training. Please give Charlotte a pat on the back and thumbs up for being chosen as volunteer of the month."
-Kristine Dizon

October 2011: Mark Sheely

Mark began his work at the K with Culture Queue, becoming a dedicated reporter with what many of us have referred to as the "sultry" voice on the radio (he has a good voice in layman's terms). The great thing about Mark is that he has bridged the gap between the arts & culture and music departments, volunteering with Todd on Rock and Roll Over to add some talk programming into the morning show as well as taking that next step into training to become a DJ. Mark now interns at MPR, becoming another Ker to add to the history books of making that trek across the river. He also represented the station at CMJ in New York City. He's a team player and we like him. 

September 2011: Sean Neppl

For September we're happy to feature Sean Neppl as our Volunteer of the Month.  Sean has made a considerable impression on this station since he started volunteering over the summer.  Along with reviewing 10-12 CDs a week, hosting the Listening party as the CMJ crew was in New York, doing multiple Culture Queue stories, he's also interviewed bands and filmed multiple instudios.  He's always around to help out with whatever project comes around and has worked his butt off to learn more about the station in every aspect. 

August 2011: Joseph Engelbrekt

“Joseph Engelbrekt, Titan of Production and Editing, first came to Radio K in the summer of 2011.  Though he had spent his first two years at the U (yay!) he moved out to Cali for a year (boo).  Luckily, Mr. Engelbrekt came to his senses after taking classes on radio and sound and realized “Why in God’s name am I in California when Radio K, the finest station in North America is in Minnesnowta?” Needless to say, Joe promptly returned to the University of Moneysota and began volunteering in production.  He has since become a more than capable editor of spots and music.  Joseph has dedicated hours upon hours of time to editing out the eff-words in many a hip hop album -- next time you have a myocardial infarction because your favorite Tupac song just got played on the K, the tireless Mr. Engelbrekt is to thank.”
-Greg Sakowski


July 2011: The Culture Queue Team

"While many of us may know and love the culture-based journalism that the members of Radio K's Culture Queue staff provide for their weekly show, it may come as a surprise that these dedicated reporters and producers began a new quest on July 1st to continue their programming on a strictly volunteer-run basis.  Despite the potential discouragement one might expect such a change to pose, the dedicated folks in the news room have garnered enough morale to continue their efforts at the relentless pace of the radio world.  If you haven't done so already, be sure to tune in to Radio K on Sundays at 6PM to explore some of the interesting topics that Culture Queue volunteers cover, and be sure to give the Culture Queue team members a tip of the cap if you see them around." 
-Alex Hambrger

June 2011: Tom Steffes

"Better late than never. From a programming standpoint, Tom is a lifesaver. Consistently one of our finest in terms of musical knowledge, the guy travels from the 'burbs 2-3 times a week to DJ at the station, subbing for as many people as possible just because he likes the job. For those of us who get tired DJing a 3-hour set just once a week, Tom is DJing up to 9 hours a week with a constant flow of ideas in creating that perfect set. That alone would get him the volunteer of the month award (as he has kept me from having a mental breakdown many times), however his enthusiasm for just being around the station is infectious, and he gets involved with most station activities on a regular basis. Always a trooper, even when technical malfunctions could make a John Maus guest DJ set crumble, I'm glad to award June's volunteer of the month to Mr. Tom Steffes." 
-Jon Schober

May 2011: Jia Nocon

"Jia Nocon first got involved with Radio K in the fall of 2010.  It is now the summer of 2011 and she has already accomplished a plentiful amount of work and has found her niche at Radio K. As one of the kindest souls I have ever met, I know she has a genuine interest in the K has to offer. She has impeccable music taste and is culturally diversified, a perfect fit for the station. Jia has only just put her toes in the pool that is Radio K!"
-Leah Garaas


April 2011: Joey Pearlman

"Joey Pearlman embodies the spirit of a Radio K volunteer.  From his first shadow shifts, Joey's grateful nature stood out, which makes the prospect of working with this West Coast rabel-rouser a welcome invitation.  Joey's extensive knowledge of hip hop and willingness to learn make his Monday 6-8PM shift unlike any other.  If you see Joey Pearlman in passing, congratulate him on receiving April's nomination for Volunteer of the Month."
-Alex Hamburger

From the Radio K Archives

Since 1993, Radio K has been providing Minnesotans and the rest of the world with outstanding musical content. We've been cleaning house over the past few years (give us a break - we're dirty students), and we've discovered a lot of old information from yester-year that we wanted to share with you.

Top 77 Albums

We had to dig deep through the archives to find most of these lists. As you'll notice, some are scanned - others are typed. But this provides a thorough history of 17 years of opinions from Radio K listeners, DJs, staff, and volunteers about what was hot in music at the time. Enjoy!

1994 / 1995 / 1996 / 1997

1998 / 1999 / 2000 / 2001

2002 / 2003 / 2004 / 2005

2006 / 2007 / 2008 / 2009

2010

Instudios since 1993

Ever wonder who exactly has been in the Radio K studios since our inception as KUOM in 1993? Some of the names include The Beta Band, Metric, Vic Chestnutt and more. Check out this list (currently an in-progress work) which spans 15 pages of instudio history.

History of Radio K Instudios