Independent Public Radio (IPR) is a public radio network in Minnesota. It is the second-largest public radio organization in the state, after Minnesota Public Radio (MPR). Known as AMPERS (Association of Minnesota Public Educational Radio Stations) until 2004, the network helps member stations coordinate fundraising and allows them to share a certain amount of programming. A number of IPR's 12 members are college radio stations. The network headquarters is located at 525 Park Street, Suite 310, St. Paul, MN.
AMPERS was founded in 1972. Each station focuses on broadcasting music that is reflective of the local community significantly more than most other stations in the region. For example, KFAI offers far more public access programming than any other broadcaster in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. This is quite different from MPR, which only has two main audio streams, plus a third service on KCMP in the Twin Cities and KMSE in Rochester. KCMP had previously been operated by St. Olaf College until 2004, and was one of the most powerful stations in the AMPERS network.
| Call (nickname) | Primary format | Frequency | Location | School or organization |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KAXE | News/information/music | 91.7 FM | Grand Rapids | Northern Community Radio |
| KBEM-FM (Jazz 88) | Jazz/Traffic | 88.5 FM | Minneapolis-St. Paul | Minneapolis Public Schools |
| KFAI | Eclectic | 90.3 FM | Minneapolis | Fresh Air, Inc. |
| 106.7 FM | St. Paul | |||
| KMOJ | Urban | 89.9 FM | Minneapolis-St. Paul | Center for Communication and Development |
| KMSU/KMSK (The Maverick) |
News/information/music | 89.7 FM | Mankato | Minnesota State University, Mankato |
| 91.3 FM | Austin | |||
| 91.9 FM | Fairmont | |||
| 91.9 FM | Albert Lea | |||
| KQAL | Eclectic | 89.5 FM | Winona | Winona State University |
| KSRQ (Pioneer 90.1) | Alternative | 90.1 FM | Thief River Falls | Northland Community and Technical College |
| KUMD-FM | Adult Album Alternative | 103.3 FM | Duluth | University of Minnesota Duluth |
| KUMM (U90) | College rock | 89.7 FM | Morris | University of Minnesota Morris |
| KUOM (Radio K) | College rock | 770 kHz AM | Minneapolis-St. Paul | University of Minnesota Twin Cities |
| 106.5 FM | St. Louis Park | |||
| KVSC | Alternative | 88.1 FM | St. Cloud | St. Cloud State University |
| WTIP | Adult Album Alternative | 90.7 FM | Grand Marais | Cook County Community Radio Corp. |
Famous quotes containing the words independent, public and/or radio:
“There are two kinds of timidity—timidity of mind, and timidity of the nerves; physical timidity, and moral timidity. Each is independent of the other. The body may be frightened and quake while the mind remains calm and bold, and vice versë. This is the key to many eccentricities of conduct. When both kinds meet in the same man he will be good for nothing all his life.”
—Honoré De Balzac (1799–1850)
“There are obvious places in which government can narrow the chasm between haves and have-nots. One is the public schools, which have been seen as the great leveler, the authentic melting pot. That, today, is nonsense. In his scathing study of the nation’s public school system entitled “Savage Inequalities,” Jonathan Kozol made manifest the truth: that we have a system that discriminates against the poor in everything from class size to curriculum.”
—Anna Quindlen (b. 1952)
“Having a thirteen-year-old in the family is like having a general-admission ticket to the movies, radio and TV. You get to understand that the glittering new arts of our civilization are directed to the teen-agers, and by their suffrage they stand or fall.”
—Max Lerner (b. 1902)