KNWC-FM (96.5 MHz), also known as Life 96.5, is a Christian radio station located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota owned and operated by University of Northwestern – St. Paul, a Christian college in St. Paul, Minnesota.[3] KNWC-FM concentrates on Christian adult contemporary music.

KNWC-FM
Frequency96.5 MHz
BrandingLife 96.5
Programming
FormatChristian adult contemporary
Ownership
Owner
KNWC
History
First air date
March 28, 1969[1]
Call sign meaning
NorthWestern College
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID49776
ClassC
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT488 meters (1,601 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
43°31′07″N 96°32′05″W / 43.51861°N 96.53472°W / 43.51861; -96.53472
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitelife965.com/knwc-radio-in-the-sioux-empire/

Its studios are located on South Tallgrass Avenue in Sioux Falls, while its transmitter is located near Rowena.

Life 96.5 is the official radio station of LifeLight Festival.

2007 FM transmitter failure

edit

On Wednesday, January 24, 2007, KNWC-FM's main transmitter, which had been in service since 1983, failed.[4] New parts were ordered so that the transmitter could serve as a backup in the future, as there was no backup main transmitter. This forced the purchase of a new transmitter. On Thursday, February 8, 2007, Life 96.5 was back up to full power, operating on the original transmitter; the new, permanent transmitter would be installed at a later date.

On Tuesday, March 6, 2007, the transmitter was again down. The new transmitter was installed on Thursday, March 8, 2007, but ice on the tower from a blizzard fell on the antenna, which resulted in more damage. That forced KNWC-FM to operate at low power on a backup antenna until the problem could be corrected. In late March 2007, KNWC-FM was operating at higher, but still reduced, power. KNWC-FM announced that the new antenna would be installed in May 2007, and Life 96.5 would operate on reduced power until then.[5] After a long summer at reduced power due to circumstances beyond control, station manager Jeff Rupp announced KNWC-FM was back to full power on Friday, August 31, 2007.[6]

2013 antenna failure

edit

In May 2013, an ice storm took out KNWC-FM's antenna, forcing the station to briefly broadcast with lower power.

Refuge Radio acquisition

edit

The disbanding of Refuge Radio upon its donation to UNWSP in 2019 resulted in a substantial increase to KNWC-FM's network of translators, including a full-power repeater, KRGM in Marshall, Minnesota.

Translators

edit
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class FCC info
KRGM 89.9 FM Marshall, Minnesota 173790 4,250 163 m (535 ft) C3 LMS
Broadcast translator for KNWC-FM
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) Class FCC info
K210CG 89.9 FM Spirit Lake, Iowa 90145 250 D LMS
K220HY 91.9 FM Spencer, Iowa 94038 250 D LMS
K220IT 91.9 FM Watertown, South Dakota 138402 79 D LMS
K229BK 93.7 FM North Sioux City, South Dakota 139165 120 D LMS
K231AR 94.1 FM Mitchell, South Dakota 139171 250 D LMS
K257CH 99.3[note 1][7] FM Estherville, Iowa 83434 80 D LMS
K288EV 105.5 FM Brookings, South Dakota 72915 250 D LMS
K288GA 105.5 FM Sioux Falls, South Dakota 138081 220 D LMS
  1. ^ Owned by Lakes Area Christian Radio. Received WJRF from K210CG, which now rebroadcasts KNWC-FM. In February 2020, Lakes Area filed to donate the translator to Northwestern Media.

References

edit
  1. ^ [https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1970/B%20N-Ter%20BC%20YB%201970%20All-3.pdf 1970 Broadcasting Yearbook, Broadcasting, 1970. p. B-184. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KNWC-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ KNWC-FM fcc.gov. Accessed November 23, 2012
  4. ^ "Northwestern College: Media Ministry". Archived from the original on 2007-02-05. Retrieved 2007-02-08.
  5. ^ "KNWC". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
  6. ^ http://knwc.nwc.edu/article.php?id=1156[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ Venta, Lance (February 20, 2020). "Station Sales Week of 2/20". RadioInsight. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
edit