WKNO-FM
 |
|
| City |
WKNO-FM: Memphis, Tennessee WKNP: Jackson, Tennessee |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Memphis / Jackson, Tennessee |
| Branding | NPR For the Mid South |
| Frequency |
WKNO-FM: 91.1 MHz (also on HD Radio) WKNP: 90.1 MHz (also on HD Radio) |
| First air date |
WKNO-FM: 1972 WKNP: 1990 |
| Format | Classical music |
| ERP |
WKNO-FM: 100,000 watts WKNP: 18,000 watts |
| HAAT |
WKNO-FM: 175 meters WKNP: 156.2 meters |
| Class |
WKNO-FM: C1 WKNP: C2 |
| Facility ID |
WKNO-FM: 41887 WKNP: 41885 |
| Transmitter coordinates |
WKNO-FM: 35°9′14.00″N 89°49′19.00″W / 35.1538889°N 89.8219444°W WKNP: 35°28′49.00″N 88°50′0.00″W / 35.4802778°N 88.8333333°W |
| Callsign meaning | W KNOwledge |
| Affiliations | American Public Media, National Public Radio, Public Radio International |
| Owner | Mid-South Public Communications Foundation |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wknofm.org |
The WKNO FM Stations is a pair of public radio stations based in Memphis, Tennessee, that serve the "Mid-South" region with local fine arts and classical music programs, as well as news and information programs from the National Public Radio, Public Radio International, and American Public Media networks.
The stations are owned and operated by the Mid-South Public Communications Foundation, a non-profit organization governed by a board of trustees composed of volunteers. This board also operates Memphis' public television station, WKNO-TV.
Two stations comprise the network:
WKNO-FM 91.1--Memphis (flagship). Signal reaches about a 50-mile radius from the city, covering the southwestern corner of Tennessee, eastern Arkansas, the extreme southern portions of the Missouri Bootheel, and northwestern Mississippi.
WKNP 90.1--Jackson, Tennessee. Signal covers much of the state between the Memphis area, the Tennessee River, and the Kentucky state line.
WKNO-FM began operations in 1972, with only the one station broadcasting at 40,000 watts. Its studios were first located on the main campus of Memphis State University (now University of Memphis); in 1979, along with the TV station, the studios were relocated a few blocks to the south, to the southern annex of MSU on Getwell Road. That facility served the television and radio stations for 30 years until November 2009, when they moved into custom-designed all-digital studios, located in the Memphis suburb of Cordova.
As with many public radio outlets started during that era, programming in the early years consisted almost entirely of classical music; NPR news broadcasts did not become a significant portion of the daily schedule until well into the 1980s. Still, the station increased its power during that period to a full 100,000 watts, thereby increasing its listenership with a stronger, clearer signal. As the popularity of public radio developed, the MSPCF decided to aggressively construct and acquire transmitters throughout the region, much of which had never been served by public radio before. It started by purchasing the broadcasting equipment of WNJC-FM, the defunct campus radio station (founded 1972) of Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia, about 40 miles south of Memphis, in 1989. MSPCF kept that station's original callsign for a few years, before rechristening it to WKNA-FM, making it conform to the mother station's pattern. That station broadcast at 88.9 MHz.
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