MINOT—A gospel-teaching radio station based in Minot may experience a significant power boost in the coming years.
KFLK 95.9 FM (“The Flock”) received an FCC permit on Dec. 29, 2021, to build a new full-power radio station. The new station would operate at 100 kW, while the current station operates at a mere 46 W.
Pastor Bill Smith, KFLK founder, explained that such a power increase would change the engineered listening radius from about 3.5 miles to more like 100 miles.
“That will essentially cover just west of Devils Lake to just east of Williston, just north of Bismarck.” Pastor Bill Smith, KFLK founder
“That will essentially cover just west of Devils Lake to just east of Williston, just north of Bismarck,” said Smith. “We don’t know how far into Canada, maybe Carlyle, SK.” In functional terms, the new, more powerful signal may reach even farther than that.
Smith explained, “The FCC announced last year that they were looking at opening a filing window for NCE, non-commercial educational, full-power radio stations.”
Smith discussed the possibility with his engineer advisor and was able to get the paperwork together to submit the application during the filing window. The permit went uncontested and was approved not long after. That gives Smith and KFLK three years to build the new, 100-kW Class C1 station. When built, the new station will have a new frequency, 88.1 FM—“first on the dial,” said Smith.
“The new potential population that could be reached is approximately 380,000 people,” he said. “It [will] make us more marketable on a regional basis, for sponsors.” Smith stated, “Certain ag dealerships, in Sherwood for example,” might be interested in sponsoring, when they previously have had no reason to want to do so at the current low-power format based in Minot.
“In the end, it’s not about a radio station; it’s the message of the gospel. This is the medium we’re using to get it out there.” Smith
Smith quickly added, “In the end, it’s not about a radio station; it’s the message of the gospel. This is the medium we’re using to get it out there.”
“You have to be local in your feel,” Smith explained further. “If you sound over produced, people don’t connect with it quite as well, especially as a non-commercial, low-power, community radio station, and that’s what KFLK currently is.”
Since Mar. 1, 2015, when KFLK went on the air, it has remained a nonprofit ministry that falls under the board of directors of Calvary Chapel Minot, the church Smith pastors.
“[The station is] still going to be listener funded or funded as an outreach of the church as a part of our missions outreach,” said Smith.
For more information on KFLK, check out theflockminot.org.
