KFIL-FM (103.1

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...

) is an American commercial

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

licensed to serve

Chatfield, Minnesota Chatfield is a city in Fillmore and Olmsted counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 2,997 at the 2020 census. The city's area is split almost equally between the two counties. Chatfield is known as "The Gateway to Bluff Co ...

. The station, established in 1970 by O.B. Borgen, is currently owned by

Townsquare Media Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

and the

broadcast license A broadcast license is a type of spectrum license granting the licensee permission to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses generally include restrictions, which va ...

is held by Townsquare License, LLC.

Programming

KFIL-FM broadcasts a

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

format. During

daylight hours Daylight is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight during the daytime. This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and (often) both of these reflected by Earth and terrestrial objects, like landforms and buildings. Sunlig ...

, this broadcast is in conjunction with its

sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...

, KFIL (1060 AM). The station serves Fillmore County and the greater

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. It is located along rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a popul ...

, area. As a full service station, non-music programming includes

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, agriculture news, market reports, and specialized weather reports. KFIL-FM is an affiliate of the Linder Farm Network. KFIL-FM also broadcasts a

tradio Tradio is a type of phone-in radio program formatted to provide a venue for listeners to freely advertise items they have to sell or trade. The concept is analogous to classified ads in local newspapers and most prevalent in the south and midw ...

program called "Swap Shop" and a community calendar bulletin each weekday. Weekend programming includes five hours of local church services and other Christian programming on Sunday mornings and two hours of oldies music on Sunday nights. Sports programming on KFIL-FM includes local

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

high school basketball High school basketball, also known as prep basketball, is the sport of basketball as played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. Top high school athletes often go on to play college basketball after ...

, high school baseball, and high school softball games during the season, ''KFIL Sports Round-up'' with Devon Krueger each weekday, plus ''Coaches Corner'' on Saturday mornings from August through April.

History

Borgen era

This station received its original

construction permit Planning permission or building permit refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. House building permits, for example, are subject to bu ...

on September 1, 1970. It began regular broadcast operations in April 1971, with 3,000

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...

s of power with an antenna in

height above average terrain Height above average terrain (HAAT), or (less popularly) effective height above average terrain (EHAAT), is the vertical position of an antenna site above the surrounding landscape. HAAT is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it is ...

. The station was assigned the

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...

"KFIL-FM" by the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

(FCC). The station, like its AM

, was originally licensed to serve the

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

Preston, Minnesota Preston is a city in and the county seat of Fillmore County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,325 at the 2010 census. The Root River runs through it, and Mystery Cave State Park is nearby. It bills itself as "America's Trout C ...

. The station was originally owned and operated by KFIL, Inc., with Obed Samuel "O.B." Borgen as president of the corporation. In October 1991, ownership of KFIL, Inc., was transferred to sons Michael S. Borgen and Jeffrey T. Borgen. The station stayed in the Borgen family's control for more than 30 years. Obed Borgen died in July 1999.

Cumulus era

In December 2003, Michael S. Borgen and Jeffrey T. Borgen sold KFIL, Inc., to

Cumulus Media Cumulus Media, Inc. is a broadcasting company of the United States and is the second largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States ahead of Audacy and behind iHeartMedia iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdi ...

through its Cumulus Broadcasting, LLC, subsidiary. The published combined sale price of KFIL, KFIL-FM, and KVGO (through KVGO, Inc.) was $3,000,000. The deal gained FCC approval on February 5, 2004, and the transaction was consummated on March 30, 2004. The

for KFIL-FM was formally transferred from KFIL, Inc., to Cumulus Licensing, LLC, on December 31, 2004. Longtime KFIL/KFIL-FM air personality Mike Sveen retired from broadcasting in 2007. The former announcer, sports reporter, and

, city council member had worked at KFIL/KFIL-FM for more than 25 years. In September 2007, Cumulus applied to the FCC to change KFIL-FM's

city of license In U.S., Canadian, and Mexican broadcasting, a city of license or community of license is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator. In North American broadcast ...

from Preston, Minnesota, to nearby

. The FCC approved the change on January 8, 2008.

Townsquare era

On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in which

would acquire 53 Cumulus stations, including KFIL-FM, for $238 million. The deal was part of Cumulus' acquisition of

Dial Global Westwood One, Inc. is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming. The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1976. The c ...

; Townsquare and Dial Global were both controlled by

Oaktree Capital Management Oaktree Capital Management, Inc. is an American global asset management firm specializing in alternative investment strategies. As of September 30, 2024, the company managed $205 billion for its clientele. The firm was co-founded in 1995 by a ...

. The sale to Townsquare was completed on November 14, 2013. In early 2024, Townsquare closed KFIL's Preston studios and the station's control point switched to the Rochester-based studios. Townsquare had intended to sell the station's AM sister ( KFIL), but the deal was withdrawn. KFIL-FM was not included in the sale.

References

External links

KFIL-FM official website
{{Townsquare Media Radio stations in Minnesota Radio stations established in 1971 Classic country radio stations in the United States Fillmore County, Minnesota 1971 establishments in Minnesota Townsquare Media radio stations