WMCN (FM)

Last updated
WMCN
WMCN Logo.png
Frequency 91.7 MHz
BrandingMacalester College Radio
Programming
Format variety
Ownership
Owner Macalester College
History
First air date
 1980
Former call signs
KJAB (1979) [1]
Call sign meaning
Macalester College [2]
Technical information
Facility ID 39535
Class D
ERP 5 watts
HAAT 49 m (161 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
 44°56′19.00″N93°10′4.00″W / 44.9386111°N 93.1677778°W / 44.9386111; -93.1677778
Links
Webcast Listen Live
Website wmcn.fm
WMCN Offices.jpg

WMCN (91.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a variety format. Licensed to St. Paul, Minnesota, United States, the station serves the greater St. Paul area. The station is currently owned by Macalester College and run by students. [3] The station has held the WMCN call sign since July 30, 1979. [1]

Contents

History

This station was granted a final extension to its original construction permit by the Federal Communications Commission on June 20, 1979. [4] The new station was assigned the call sign "KJAB" by the FCC but this was changed to the current WMCN on July 30, 1979. [1] The station received its broadcast license from the FCC on April 1, 1980. [5]

Programming

Located in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood, roughly between the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, WMCN is a low power station and has a broadcast radius of roughly 2.5 to 3 miles. [6] The freeform programming is hosted by student disc jockeys and the station only operates during the school's terms. Students are required to complete training sessions to familiarize themselves with the station's music library, policies, and broadcast equipment before they are permitted on the air. [7]

WMCN provides Macalester and its surrounding community with music from various genres including rock, Americana, world, jazz, hip-hop, electronic, and classical as well as talk radio programming. [8] Community activist Dan Richmond described WMCN as "one of the first places to look for new music and ideas". [9]

The station began an overhaul of its facilities in 2006, adding enhanced webcast capabilities and working towards the complete digitization of its music library. [10] The digitization of nearly 20,000 songs was, after some complications, completed in late 2007 with the station announcing plans to sell off its vast CD library when the project was complete. [11]

Former on-air staff

While most student presenters at college radio stations do not pursue careers in broadcasting, some use the experience as a springboard to larger venues. Gregory Keltgen, now better known as "DJ Abilities", got his start as a hip hop DJ providing scratches as part of his older brother Derek's show on WMCN. [12] Brian Bull, currently an award-winning business and economics reporter for WCPN 90.3 ideastream and contributing reporter for National Public Radio, got his first job in radio hosting a weekly classical music program on WMCN during his freshman year. [13] Joanna Stein, a 2006 Macalester graduate and WMCN veteran, joined the staff of National Public Radio's Morning Edition program. [14] Minneapolis/St. Paul community radio station KFAI announcer Jennifer Downham, host of Groove Garden since 1994, says she did not "pursue her musical interests until she became a radio DJ" on WMCN. [15] Described as "the Queen Mother of the Twin Cities hip-shagging, funked-up improv music scene", [16] the WMCN show she hosted was her first ever job as an announcer. [17]

Related Research Articles

The music of Minnesota began with the native rhythms and songs of Indigenous peoples, the first inhabitants of the lands which later became the U.S. state of Minnesota. Métis fur-trading voyageurs introduced the chansons of their French ancestors in the late eighteenth century. As the territory was opened up to white settlement in the 19th century, each group of immigrants brought with them the folk music of their European homelands. Celtic, German, Scandinavian, and Central and Eastern European song and dance remain part of the vernacular music of the state today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGVX</span> Radio station in Lakeville, Minnesota

WGVX, WLUP and WWWM-FM are three separate radio stations that make up a trimulcast serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul radio market. The three stations are owned by Cumulus Media, along with sister stations KQRS-FM and KXXR. The three stations broadcast an adult contemporary radio format, with the moniker "Love 105."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WEPN-FM</span> ESPN Radio station in New York City

WEPN-FM (98.7 MHz) branded as ESPN New York, is an all-sports radio station licensed to New York City. The station is owned by Emmis Communications and its operations are controlled by Good Karma Brands, under a local marketing agreement. The station's transmitter is located at the Empire State Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KBEM-FM</span> Radio station in Minneapolis, Minnesota

KBEM-FM is a Minneapolis, Minnesota public radio station broadcasting a jazz format. The station is operated by the Minneapolis public school system and has been partnering since 1989 with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT), providing traffic congestion reports for commuters in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. KBEM also broadcasts live headliner performances from the Twin Cities Jazz Festival each June. KBEM is a member of Minnesota's AMPERS network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFAI</span> Radio station in Minneapolis, Minnesota

KFAI is a community radio station in Minnesota. The station broadcasts a wide variety of music, and also airs programming catering to many of the diverse ethnic groups of the region. KFAI has frequently been honored by local media critics for its shows and musical diversity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNUR-FM</span> Radio station at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois

WNUR-FM is a non-commercial FM radio station licensed to Evanston, Illinois and serving the Chicago metropolitan area. It is the student radio station of Northwestern University and has a college radio format, mixing different styles of music with news and commentary.

KTLK – branded News/Talk AM 1130 – is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota. It broadcasts a conservative talk radio format to the Twin Cities radio market and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The radio studios are on Utica Avenue South in St. Louis Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KDWB-FM</span> Radio station in Richfield–Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota

KDWB-FM is an American commercial radio station broadcasting in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota, licensed to suburban Richfield. KDWB's radio format is Top 40/CHR. Its transmitter is located in Shoreview, while its studios are in St. Louis Park. The station is owned by iHeartMedia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KQRS-FM</span> Classic rock radio station in Golden Valley, Minnesota

KQRS-FM is a classic rock radio station in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota. The station is licensed to suburban Golden Valley, transmits from the KMSP-TV tower in Shoreview, and is owned by Cumulus Media, with studios in Southeast Minneapolis in the Como district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFXN-FM</span> Sports radio station in the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area

KFXN-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, broadcasting a sports talk format. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, and serves the Twin Cities market. KFXN-FM's transmitter is located in the suburb of Shoreview on KMSP-TV's tower. Its effective radiated power is 100,000 watts. The station's main studios are in St. Louis Park.

Minneapolis–Saint Paul, also known as the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, in the state of Minnesota, United States of America, has two major general-interest newspapers. The region is currently ranked as the 15th largest television market in the United States. The market officially includes 59 counties of Minnesota and Wisconsin, and extends far to the north and west. The radio market in the Twin Cities is estimated to be slightly smaller, ranked 16th in the nation.

KSJN is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Owned by Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), this station serves the Twin Cities region as the flagship of "YourClassical MPR", MPR's classical music network. KSJN's studios are located at the MPR Broadcast Center on Cedar Street in downtown Saint Paul, while its transmitter is located on the KMSP Tower in Shoreview.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTCZ-FM</span> Radio station in Minneapolis, Minnesota

KTCZ-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota and serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul radio market and Western Wisconsin. KTCZ airs a hybrid modern adult contemporary radio format. The station is owned and operated by iHeartMedia and has studios and offices on Utica Avenue South in St. Louis Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KMWA</span> Radio station in Edina, Minnesota

KMWA is a non-commercial FM radio station licensed to Edina, Minnesota, and serving the Twin Cities area. The station is owned by the Educational Media Foundation, and airs programming from EMF's nationally syndicated "Air 1" radio format featuring Christian Worship Music. KMWA's transmitter is located in New Hope.

KSFM is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Woodland, California and serves the Sacramento metropolitan area. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. and broadcasts a rhythmic contemporary format. KSFM's studios and offices are located at 5345 Madison Avenue in Sacramento, and its transmitter is in Woodland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KPOO</span> Community radio station in San Francisco

KPOO is a community radio station licensed to San Francisco, California, United States. The station is owned by Poor People's Radio. It broadcasts from a building in the Fillmore district.

KNOF is a non-profit FM radio station licensed to St. Paul, Minnesota, and serving the Twin Cities area. The station is broadcasts a Christian Contemporary radio format and is owned by Christian Heritage Broadcasting, Inc. KNOF's radio studios and offices are on Elliot Avenue in Minneapolis.

Twin Cities hip hop, also referred to as Minneapolis hip hop, is sub-genre of rap music that originates from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K273BH</span> Radio station in Fridley, Minnesota

K273BH is a translator broadcasting the mainstream urban format of the HD3 subcarrier of iHeartMedia's KTCZ-FM. Licensed to Fridley, Minnesota, it serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area inside the I-494/I-694 beltway. The station is currently owned by iHeartMedia, through licensee iHM Licenses, LLC. All the offices and studios are located in St. Louis Park and the transmitter is atop the IDS Center in downtown Minneapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KARP-FM</span> Radio station in Dassel, Minnesota

KARP-FM is a radio station licensed to serve Dassel, Minnesota, United States. The station, which began broadcasting in 1968, is currently owned by Iowa City Broadcasting Company.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Call Letter Origins". Radio History on the Web.
  3. ↑ "WMCN Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  4. ↑ "Application Search Details (BMPED-19790409AL)". FCC Media Bureau. June 20, 1979.
  5. ↑ "Application Search Details (BLED-19791015AA)". FCC Media Bureau. April 1, 1980.
  6. ↑ "coverage map for WMCN". Radio Locator.
  7. ↑ Wright, Patricia (September 19, 2008). "WMCN prepares for changes, new slate of programming". The Mac Weekly . Archived from the original on September 26, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  8. ↑ Webb, Shasta (April 2, 2010). "Basement Lairs: Radio Station". The Mac Weekly . Retrieved April 8, 2010.[ permanent dead link ]
  9. ↑ Richmond, Dan. "Twin Cities Community Radio". Do It Green! Minnesota. Archived from the original on February 26, 2009. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  10. ↑ Banerji, Soham (October 13, 2006). "WMCN: iPod-friendly and graffiti-free; Macalester College radio has new equipment, freshly painted walls and improved web casting". The Mac Weekly . Archived from the original on November 8, 2007. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  11. ↑ Fredrickson, Nathan (September 28, 2007). "WMCN digitization near complete". The Mac Weekly . Archived from the original on October 10, 2007. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  12. ↑ Matos, Michaelangelo (January 6, 2009). "Ready, Willing, and Able: Ego trippin' with the hardest-working hip-hop DJ in town". Citypages. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Leadership". August 22, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Intern Edition: Bios". National Public Radio. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  15. ↑ "Six Questions with Jennifer Downham". Saint Paul Pioneer Press . January 9, 2004. p. E2. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  16. ↑ Gilmer, Vickie; Bream, Jon (April 3, 1998). "Downham cultivates her 'Groove Garden'". Minneapolis Star-Tribune . Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  17. ↑ Terhark, Chuck (May 26, 1999). "Women break music industry standards as Minneapolis radio DJs". University Wire. Retrieved April 8, 2010.[ dead link ]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.