KNXR
{{short description|Classic hits radio station in Rochester, Minnesota}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name = KNXR
| logo = 180px
| city = Rochester, Minnesota
| area = Southeast Minnesota
| branding = Minnesota 97.5
| frequency = 97.5 MHz
| airdate = {{start date and age|1965|12|24}}
| format = Classic hits
| erp = 100,000 watts
| haat = {{convert|317|m|ft|sp=us}}
| class = C
| facility_id = 68823
| callsign_meaning =
| former_callsigns =
| owner = John Linder and Lynn Ketelsen
| licensee = Blooming Prairie Farm Radio Inc.
| webcast = [http://streamdb7web.securenetsystems.net/v5/KNXR Listen Live]
| website = [http://www.mn975.com/ mn975.com]
| licensing_authority= FCC
}}
KNXR (97.5 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station in Rochester, Minnesota. It broadcasts a classic hits radio format and is owned by John Linder and Lynn Ketelsen, through Blooming Prairie Farm Radio, Inc. The radio studios and offices are on 16th Avenue NW in Rochester.
The transmitter site and tower are on 70th Avenue NE (County Highway 119) at Silver Creek Road in Rochester.[https://radio-locator.com/info/KNXR-FM?loc=44.85870%2C-92.62510&locn=River%20Falls%2C%20Wisconsin Radio-Locator.com/WNXR] With its effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts{{Cite web|url=http://radio-locator.com/info/KNXR-FM|title = Radio Station Information Page}} and {{convert|317|m|ft|sp=us}} in height above average terrain (HAAT), KNXR can be heard through much of southern Minnesota, western Wisconsin and northern Iowa.http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=KNXR&service=FM&status=L&hours=U>{{Cite web |url=http://www.975pulsefm.com/about.php |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-02-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226234459/http://www.975pulsefm.com/about.php |archive-date=2015-02-26 |url-status=dead }}
History
=Beautiful Music=
KNXR signed on the air on Christmas Eve, {{start date and age|1965|12|24}}. The station had a beautiful music format and had its studios in the Rochester Holiday Inn. KNXR played quarter hour sweeps of mostly instrumental cover versions of popular songs, as well as Broadway and Hollywood show tunes. It also featured John Doremus' program Patterns in Music, weeknights from 7 to 10 pm.{{Cite web |url=http://www.kttc.com/story/27990214/2015/01/30/975-fm-bids-farewell-to-radio-founder-reflects-on-nearly-50-years-of-uplifting-sound |title=97.5 FM bids farewell to radio, founder reflects on nearly 50 ye - KTTC Rochester, Austin, Mason City News, Weather and Sports |access-date=2015-02-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810211600/http://www.kttc.com/story/27990214/2015/01/30/975-fm-bids-farewell-to-radio-founder-reflects-on-nearly-50-years-of-uplifting-sound |archive-date=2017-08-10 |url-status=dead }} Over time, more soft vocals were added to the playlist although the station remained largely instrumental until January 31, 2015.
The station's first hour was rebroadcast on Christmas Eve 2015 to mark the 50th anniversary of the station's first radio broadcast. While operating as an easy listening station, KNXR had a devoted following, on the strongest FM signal in Rochester.{{Cite web|url=http://www.postbulletin.com/opinion/letters/letter-musical-standards-on-knxr-radio-will-be-missed-in/article_352e9d2e-2c41-5b1c-8573-7ac946704455.html|title=Letter: Musical standards on KNXR Radio will be missed in Rochester and beyond|date=31 January 2015}} It often made the Arbitron ratings for the Minneapolis-St. Paul radio market, 85 miles away.
=Ownership change; flip to Hot AC=
In October 2014, longtime owner Thomas H. Jones announced he would sell KNXR for $1.1 million to Hometown Broadcasting, which, at the time, owned KQAQ and KQPR in Albert Lea (the former has since been sold to Real Presence Radio, while the latter has been sold to D&Z Media). The sale closed on January 30, 2015, and KNXR went silent at 1 a.m. the following day. On February 24, 2015, after a couple of hours of stunting with the local audio feed from NOAA Weather Radio, KNXR flipped to a Hot Adult Contemporary format, branded as "97.5 Pulse FM".{{Cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/90515/station-sales-week-of-1017/|title = Station Sales Week of 10/17}}{{Cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/netgnomes/91795/knxr-to-sign-off-tonight-pulse-on-the-way/|title=KNXR Returns as 97.5 Pulse-FM}} Jones retained the station's vast Easy Listening music library, and some of the personality programming, in an online streaming station at [http://www.97five.net/play/ 97five.net].
Despite the station's ratings improving, the "Pulse FM" format was short lived. In December 2015, Hometown Broadcasting announced it would sell KNXR for $3.2 million to Lynn Ketelsen and John Linder's Blooming Prairie Farm Radio (owners of KOWZ (now KFOW) and KOWZ-FM in Blooming Prairie).{{Cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/95444/knxr-sold-again-back-to-beautiful-music/|title=KNXR Sold Again; Back to Beautiful Music?}} The sale was completed on February 29, 2016.
=Classic hits=
On March 4, 2016, at midnight, KNXR began stunting with a loop of "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" by Rolf Harris, along with recorded announcements that a "new radio station is coming to Rochester." The station promoted its new format to launch at noon on March 7.[https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/105295/knxr-rochester-stunting/ KNXR Rochester Stunting]
At the promised time, KNXR flipped to classic hits as “Minnesota 97.5". The first song under the new format was "Hotel California" by The Eagles.[http://formatchange.com/knxr-becomes-minnesota-97-5/ KNXR Becomes Minnesota 97.5]
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{FM station data|68823|KNXR}}
- [https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=73443 FCC history cards for KNXR]
{{Rochester MN radio}}
{{Classic Hits Radio Stations in Minnesota}}
{{coord|44.041|N|92.340|W|type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC|display=title}}