KNWC-FM (96.5

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 ...

), also known as Life 96.5, is a

Christian radio Christian radio refers to Christian media radio formats that focus on Christian religious broadcasting or various forms of Christian music. Many such formats and programs include contemporary Christian music, gospel music, sermons, radio dramas, ...

station located in

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...

owned and operated by

University of Northwestern – St. Paul The University of Northwestern – St. Paul (UNWSP) is a Private university, private Evangelical Christianity, evangelical Christian university in Roseville, Minnesota, United States. History The predecessor to the current university was fir ...

, a Christian college in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

. KNWC-FM concentrates on

Christian adult contemporary Christian adult contemporary, also known as Christian AC, CAC, or Christian Adult Contemporary Airplay, is a form of radio-played contemporary Christian music, ranging from 1960s Jesus music and 1970s Christian soft rock music to predominately ...

music. 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

On Wednesday, January 24, 2007, KNWC-FM's main

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...

, which had been in service since 1983, failed. 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 A blizzard is a severe Winter storm, snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow th ...

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. 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.http://knwc.nwc.edu/article.php?id=1156

2013 antenna failure

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

Refuge Radio acquisition

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 Marshall is a city in Lyon County, Minnesota, Lyon County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,628 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and 13,906 as of 2023 estimates. Marshall is a regional center in southwest Minnesota ...

Translators

References

External links

*
Northwestern College website''Souled Out Radio'' website
* * NWC-FM NWC-FM NWC-FM Mass media in the Mitchell, South Dakota micropolitan area Sioux Falls, South Dakota Mitchell, South Dakota Sioux City, Iowa Radio stations established in 1969 1969 establishments in South Dakota Northwestern Media {{SouthDakota-radio-station-stub