Non-commerical, educational station
Pioneer 90.1 is KSRQ-FM , a 24-kilowatt FM radio station licensed by the Federal Communications Commission.
KSRQ Radio Tower
We're a non-commercial, educational station owned by Northland Community and Technical College , programmed by NCTC students and community volunteers. We're members of Independent Public Radio , the Minnesota Broadcasters Association , the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System , the Associated Press , and the National Federation of Community Broadcasters . We report our music playlist to the College Media Journal .
Mission
KSRQ serves the Thief River Falls region with unique radio programming as well as educational and volunteer opportunities.
Vision
KSRQ will be a regional programming innovator and an incubator for the next generation of radio industry professionals.
History
Ten-watt KAVS-FM (89.5) signed on at the Thief River Falls Area Vocational School in 1971, three years after Howard Rokke launched the radio announcing program. A move to 90.1 FM and a power increase to 1,800 watts followed in 1977. In 1983, the station's call letters changed to KSRQ, simply because students and staff found the previous call letters difficult to say. While the letters KAVS referred to the Area Vocational School , KSRQ doesn't actually stand for anything. The change that really allows us to be a regional community radio service occurred in 1989, when the station's transmitter was relocated to a tall tower and effective power was increased to 24,000 watts. Starting around 2003, the station's management started thinking beyond the students of the Mass Communications program for talent, and the community aspect of the station started to develop. In August 2004, the station's format changed from daily segments of country, soft rock, and metal to Active Adult Alternative, and KSRQ-FM took on the moniker of Pioneer 90.1.
