KBEK (95.5 FM; "Nice 95.5") is a radio station licensed to Mora, Minnesota, and serving east-central Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. The station is owned by Alan R. Quarnstrom, through licensee Q Media Properties, LLC. KBEK previously aired an eclectic mix of music with specialty shows every night of the week, all hosted by personalities who live in the station's broadcast area.
 | |
| Broadcast area | East-central Minnesota; Northwest Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 95.5 MHz |
| Branding | Nice 95.5 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult contemporary |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | May 12, 1995 |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 31613 |
| Class | C3 |
| ERP | 25,000 watts |
| HAAT | 100 meters (328 feet) |
Transmitter coordinates | 45°44′33″N 93°22′48″W / 45.74250°N 93.38000°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | kbek.com |
History
editThe station was assigned the KBEK call letters by the Federal Communications Commission on September 20, 1989, and was granted its license to cover on May 22, 1995. It was formerly licensed to John Godfrey, Colleen McKinney's late husband, who died of cancer in 2004.[citation needed]
Due to economic factors, KBEK went up for sale in September 2011.[2] It originally announced that it would close on September 30, 2011[2] (which was subsequently pushed to December 31, 2011) before McKinney announced on December 22 that KBEK had been sold and will remain on the air.[3]
KBEK went off the air April 1, 2014.[4]
KBEK turned its transmitter back on October 26, 2014 and resumed regular broadcasting shortly thereafter.[5] McKinney sold KBEK to Genesis Technology Communication LLC effective December 1, 2017 at a price of $200,000.
In October 2020, it was announced that Alan R. Quarnstrom's Q Media Properties, LLC would acquire KBEK from Genesis Technology Communication LLC. Q Media would begin operating KBEK on November 1, 2020 via a local marketing agreement.[6]
Soon after Q Media Properties began operating KBEK on November 1, KBEK began simulcasting soon-to-be sister station WCMP in Pine City, which broadcasts a classic hits format branded as "Highway 106.5." The simulcast would be temporary, as KBEK promoted a format change would be coming soon.[7]
On November 16, 2020, KBEK changed to adult contemporary, branded as "Nice 95.5".[8]
The purchase by Q Media Properties, at a price of $295,000, was consummated on October 8, 2021.
References
edit- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KBEK". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ a b Wicklund, Alica (September 30, 2011). "KBEK unveils why they remain open, through December". The Pine City Pioneer. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
- ^ "Minnesota's Oldies KBEK (95.5) lives on". Radio-Info.com. December 22, 2011. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
- ^ "KBEK halts broadcast". 10 April 2014.
- ^ "KBEK — the little radio station that could | Bogus Brook". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-20.
- ^ "Q Media Properties Adds Third Station in East-Central Minn. – Upper Midwest Broadcasting". 21 October 2020.
- ^ Audio file kanabec.net
- ^ WCMP & KBEK Debut New Formats Radioinsight - November 16, 2020
External links
edit- An article referencing KBEK back on the air
- KBEK official website
- Brief narrative on John Godfrey, founder and former owner
- ECM Post Review article on KBEK's 10th anniversary
- Facility details for Facility ID 31613 (KBEK) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- KBEK in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
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