WLKX-FM (95.9

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one h ...

) is a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission 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 radi ...

licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

Forest Lake, Minnesota Forest Lake is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States, located 27 miles northeast of Saint Paul. The population was 20,611 at the 2020 census. The 2021 population is 20,608. History Forest Lake began as a stop on the St. Paul ...

, and serving the northern suburbs of the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

. It is owned by Lakes Broadcasting, a private corporation owned by the Peters family, who are primarily Christian-based broadcasters. Their holdings include including

WQPM WQPM (1300 AM) is a radio station airing a classic country format. Licensed to Princeton, Minnesota, United States, the station serves the St. Cloud area. The station is currently owned by Milestone Radio LLC. History On September 13, 2018, WQP ...

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

KLCI KLCI (106.1 FM, "Total Country BOB-FM") is a radio station serving the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area of Minnesota, United States, that broadcasts a country music format It is licensed to suburban Elk River, Minnesota and serves the Twin Citie ...

in Elk River,

KASM KASM (1150 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Albany, Minnesota, United States. The station, established in 1950, is currently owned by Lucas Carpenter, through licensee Crystal Media Group, LLC. KASM broadcasts a news-talk radio format. ...

and

KDDG KDDG (105.5 FM, "BOB-FM") is a commercial radio station in St. Cloud, Minnesota, airing a classic country music format. The station is owned by Lucas Carpenter, through licensee Crystal Media Group, LLC, along with sister station KASM. History ...

in Albany. The station airs a

classic country Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country and western music hits from past decades. Repertoire The radio format specializes in hits from the 1950s through the early 1980s, and focus primarily on inn ...

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when radio was compelle ...

and has an

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would ...

(ERP) of 6,000

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of 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 quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...

History

The station previously aired

Contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and ...

along with national and local religious leaders broadcasting a

Christian talk and teaching Christian radio is a Christian media radio format that focus on programming with a Christian message. Many such broadcasters play contemporary Christian music, though many programs include sermons, radio dramas, as well as news and talk pro ...

format. The station briefly simulcast with its sister station south of the metro area,

KBGY Logo with former format KBGY (107.5 FM "Bob FM") is a commercial radio station licensed to Faribault, Minnesota, with a signal that reaches Mankato, Rochester and the southern suburbs of the Twin Cities. It simulcasts a classic country radio fo ...

. When St. Paul-based

KNOF KNOF (95.3 MHz) is a non-profit FM radio station licensed to St. Paul, Minnesota, and serving the Twin Cities area. The station is broadcasts a Christian Contemporary radio format and is owned by Christian Heritage Broadcasting, Inc. KNOF's radio ...

switched to a music-only format in 2007, many syndicated and local religious spoken word programs that had used KNOF to air their broadcasts in the Twin-Cities market moved their programming to WLKX-FM. The WLKX call letters have been with the station for several decades, and in the past, the station has programmed

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...

and

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...

formats. On October 15, 2013, WLKX changed its format to a hybrid

Regional Mexican Regional Mexican is a Latin music radio format encompassing the musical genres from the different parts of rural Mexico and the Southwestern United States. Genres include banda, country en español, Duranguense, grupero, mariachi, New Mex ...

Tropical music Tropical music ( es, música tropical) is a term in the Latin music industry that refers to music genres deriving from or influenced by the Spanish-speaking areas of the Caribbean. It includes the islands of Cuba, Puerto Rico, The Dominican Repub ...

format, branded as "La Neta". On October 1, 2015, WLKX-FM changed to oldies, branded as "The Big Q", simulcasting

1300 AM Princeton, Minnesota. The station was also heard on the HD-3 of

106.1 in

Albertville Albertville (; Arpitan: ''Arbèrtvile'') is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It is best known for hosting t ...

, and

105.5 in Albany. On September 13, 2018, WLKX-FM switched from oldies to

classic hits Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 198 ...

, branded as "Killer Bee Radio". On December 21, 2019, the station began stunting with

Christmas music Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or, in the case of carols or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject m ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whil ...

musicians, and promoted that "big changes" would occur on January 1, 2020. On January 1, 2020, the station returned to its oldies format, known once again as "The Big Q". In July 2021, the station completed an upgrade from 3,000 watts to 6,000 watts. This improved coverage in the north metro. Short-spaced

KQCL KQCL (95.9 FM, "Classic Rock Power 96") is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock music format. Licensed to Faribault, Minnesota, United States, the station is currently owned by Townsquare Media. History The station was assigned the call s ...

, also on 95.9 in Faribault completed an upgrade to 6,000 watts at the same time. In certain locations of the Twin Cities, the two stations interfere with each other. On February 13, 2022, WLKX changed their format from oldies to a simulcast of classic country-formatted

106.1 FM Elk River, branded as "TOTAL Country BOB-FM".Bob Expands To Five Minnesota Stations
Radioinsight - February 14, 2022

Previous logos

References and notes

External links

* {{coord, 45.294, N, 93.073, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title Radio stations in Minnesota Classic country radio stations in the United States