KBXE Publicity Committee Meeting in Bemidji

We have just over a year before the March 2012 deadline to get 90.5 KBXE on the air, can you feel the excitement?

Please join our Publicity Committee meeting and share your ideas for good ways to spread the news about KBXE. If you have the time/interest in helping staff a table at a local event, or just a suggestion of an event we should represent at - the more people we have, the better we can do.

We'll be meeting at the MN Energy Resources building in Bemidji at 301 2nd St NW (use the 2nd St entrance) from 5:30-7p.

You can RSVP on Facebook, or just show up.

We'll be working on final specifics for events in March and April, including the Master Gardeners Spring Wakeup conference in Bagley, SisterSong in Bemidji, a Phenology Walk in the Bemidji area and the Ojibwe art exhibit Art From Within.

Plus, we've got some guerrilla theater to orchestrate and it has to be even cooler than last years Paul Bunyan Flash mob. Got some ideas of how we can do that?

I hope to see you there!

Rock on,
Doug

KBXE Spread the Love 2011 [The Video]

The official highlight video from Spread the Love, including performances by Katie Corning and The Limns!!!

There was a great turn out for Spread the Love at the Blue Ox in Bemidji on Feb., 5th, 2011. The food was great, the music rocked, the trivia was quizzical and the people were generous.

At Spread the Love, we raised $19,240.86 towards building KBXE. A huge thanks to everyone who came out to help spread the love!

Read more: http://kbxe.blogspot.com/2011/02/spre...

More info:
KBXE: http://www.kbxe.org
The Limns: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Lim...
Katie Corning: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Katie-C...

HUGE thanks to the Video Ninja!!!

Spread the Love Raises Over $19K to Build KBXE

There was a great turn out for Spread the Love this weekend. The food was great, the music rocked, the trivia was quizzical and the people were generous.

At Spread the Love, we raised $19,240.86. A huge thanks to everyone who came out to help spread the love for KBXE!

Building a new community radio station is a big project with many parts. Recently Northern Community Radio received a $150,000 grant from the George W. Neilson Foundation to help build KBXE's studios in Bemidji. This grant depends on our raising an additional $50,000 in matching funds.

All together we've raised $33,896.86 towards making that $50,000 match.

We would like to start renovating the space and building the studios in March, which is less than a month away.

You can help my pledging to KBXE's capital campaign.

Pledging to the capital campaign is separate from membership to Northern Community Radio. You can pay your contribution over 3 years, spreading out the payments however you like.

The budget for the entire KBXE project (including the tower and transmitter) is a little over $1,000,000 and includes $250,000 in community donations.

The KBXE Studios are 2,500 square feet, so that breaks down to $100 per square foot to build KBXE. How many square feet can we put out down for?

You can get more information and/or pledge by calling 800-662-5799 or by emailing kbxe@kbxe.org.

Thank you for your consideration.

Spread the Love THIS Saturday

There will be fun and games galore at our annual Spread the Love party and fundraiser this Sat., February 5th, at the Blue Ox Bar and Grill in downtown Bemidji starting at 6pm.

Julie Crabb and Brandon Chase will be hosting love-themed Green Cheese Trivia with prizes from the Bar Bell Bee Ranch, K.D. Floral and Gardens, Chocolates Plus, and Chronicle Books.

And we’ll have great live music with The Limns from Minneapolis, a high energy rock band with influences of reggae and funk.

It's all to help Spread the Love for 90.5 KBXE, the new radio station we’re building to secure and enhance the service of KAXE and Northern Community Radio in Bagley, Bemidji, Puposki, Erskine, Clearbrook, Buzzle Lake and beyond.

Get more information, and find out how you can help build KBXE, at Spread the Love this Saturday, Feb 5th at the Blue Ox Bar and Grill in Bemidji. The Taco Bar and veggie alternatives start at 6 with trivia and music throughout the evening to help Spread the Love for KBXE.

You can RSVP on Facebook here.

Let's Get Together and Feel All Right

Our second annual Spread the Love party and fundraiser is coming up on Sat., Feb 5th at the Blue Ox Bar and Grill in downtown Bemidji starting at 6pm. Come on out for fun and games, live music and find out how you can help spread the love for KBXE!

We'll have love themed Green Cheese Trivia and prizes with Brandon Chase and Julie Crabb. Big thanks to the Bar Bell Bee Ranch, KD Floral and Gardens and Chocolates Plus for providing the prizes. Plus, we'll have a couple copies of The Sexy Book of Sexy Sex to give away - how's that for love themed prizes? ;)

And we are really excited to have The Limns joining us that night for some excellent live music. Out of Minneapolis, the Limns are a high energy reggae-rock band with more than enough love to go around.

There will also be a taco bar and veggie alternatives. We'll start with trivia after food, then The Limns will rock out, then another round of trivia before The Limns rock out the rest of the night.

Join us on Sat., Feb 5th to Spread the Love for KBXE. You can RSVP here on Facebook.

Let's Spread the Love

Wondering what KBXE is? It’s a new radio station we’re building to enhance the service of KAXE and Northern Community Radio in Bagley, Bemidji, Gonvick, Shevlin, Debs, Wilton and beyond.

You can get more information, and find out how you can help build KBXE, at our annual “Spread the Love” party and fundraiser starting at 6pm on Saturday, February 5th, at the Blue Ox Bar and Grill in Bemidji.

We’ll have a Taco Bar and vegetarian alternatives, and fun and games including love-themed Green Cheese Trivia with Brandon Chase and Julie Crabb.

Plus live music with The Limns, a high-energy reggae-rock band from Minneapolis.

Join us on Saturday, Feb 5th at the Blue Ox Bar and Grill in Downtown Bemidji starting at 6pm to help Spread the Love for KBXE.

You can RSVP on Facebook here.

Video: KBXE and the 2010 Night We Light Parade

"Winner of the Blue Ox Film Festival 2010, Filmmaker Jamie Hall, aka the Video Ninja, has made an awesome film that is both funny and entertaining, following KBXE's journey from building a float in an old, dirty garage to a bright ride in the Night We Light parade in downtown Bemidji."

Jamie Hall, the Video Ninja, volunteers his time and skills to Northern Community Radio, and he submitted this as his final project for a production class at BSU. He got 290/300. Why the -10? "The video was only supposed to be 6 minutes long - but I refused to edit any more of the video out. I guess I went a little 'Peter Jackson' with it."

Big thanks to the KBXE Publicity Committee and Jamie Hall!!!

More info:
http://www.kbxe.org
http://www.kaxe.org

Meetings, Parties and Construction... OH MY!

Happy New Year!!!! Nothing against 2010, but it's nice to finally be in 2011, right? We have barely over a year to build KBXE, LET'S DO IT!!!

This Thursday, Jan. 6th, the KBXE Publicity Committee is meeting at the future KBXE Studios, 3rd and America in downtown Bemidji, at 5:30pm. All are welcome! Bring friends, neighbors, strangers, whoever! We'll be working on Spread the Love II, planned for Saturday, Feb 5th. RSVP on Facebook.

Some homework to bring to the meeting: 5 love-themed trivia questions (not raunchy!) for the bar-edition of Green Cheese Trivia with Brandon Chase. If you can't make the meeting, feel free to message them to me (mac@kaxe.org).

And keep in mind that we have a "Call for Help" out there for remodeling the KBXE studios - It's a modern day barn-raising; where a community comes together and builds something great. Read more here.

Thanks for all you do, let me know if you have any questions and see you soon!

Rock on,
Doug

Doug MacRostie
Northern Community Radio
260 NE 2nd St
Grand Rapids MN 55744
mac@kaxe.org
218/326-1234
800/662-5799

91.7 KAXE www.kaxe.org
90.5 KBXE www.kbxe.org
www.northerncommunityinternet.org

So Bright You Might Need Shades

by Doug MacRostie

Last year was KBXE's first time in the Night We Light parade in downtown Bemidji. We had cute kids in a truck with our mock-tower on the trailer covered in glow sticks next to a mock-radio studio, homemade banners on the side outlined by strings of lights - all run from an inverter. It was a very fun and cool thing. Then we saw the rest of the floats and in terms of the "light" part of the parade, we were the dimmest.

WELL NOT THIS YEAR!!! Come out and see the spectacle, starting at 6pm on Friday, the 26th in downtown Bemidji.

Last Sunday, members of the community and the KBXE Publicity gathered to put together this years float. We have upped the ante with a giant, reflective cornucopia that will have a pile of radios pouring out. Plus, a generator. Why a generator? Well...

We'll be hooking up some speakers and blasting tunes. And we've got 4 professional, sturdy, die cast aluminum, multi-color stage lights combining for a total of 144 high powered LEDs to wash our float with colorful light. Factor in the multiple 4' x 5' LED light spreads for the cornucopia, the flashing light on top of the tower and the brake lights and you might just want to bring your sunglasses.

No, we will not be the dimmest float this year! Oh, and we'll have cute kids again too :)

Like last year, we'll be doing a video of our adventure, and this time the Video Ninja will be capturing the footage so be sure to get nice and loud when you see the float. I'm talking big excitement. Screaming, waving your hands, perhaps feigning a faint, you get the idea.

We'll be meeting at 3pm on Friday the 26th to finish up the float at the KBXE Studios (3rd and America) - stop out if you would like to help, OR if you have any radios/stereos we can use on the float drop them off between 3 and 4:30. It would be a good idea to put a piece of tape on the bottom of the radio with your name and phone # so we can make sure it gets back to you.

If you would like to walk with us in the parade, be to the staging ground (behind the County buildings in Bemidji) between 5:30 and 6 - we'll have candy, KBXE info, buttons and stickers for you to hand out.

90.5 KBXE is a new public radio station being built by Northern Community Radio, who's mission to build community in Northern MN through radio broadcasts, cultural events and interactive media. Northern Community Radio has been operating 91.7 KAXE for almost 35 years (available at 105.3fm in Bemijdi) - 90.5 KBXE is intended to expand and enhance our service to that region, and has to be on the air by March of 2012. More info at http://www.kbxe.org.

Ever See a Giant Cornucopia Pouring Out Radios?

90.5 KBXE will have a float again this year in the Night We Light parade in Bemidji on Friday, Nov. 26th (the day after Thanksgiving). Last year we had a glowing tower and radio station and a truck full of "cute enthusiast." This year we plan to make things bigger and better with a giant cornucopia with radios pouring out (and more).

If you would like to help spread the news and excitement about 90.5 KBXE you can help us assemble the float on Sunday, Nov. 21st at Noon at the future KBXE Studios on 3rd and America in downtown Bemidji (RSVP on Facebook). Bring a snack to share, hands to help, and any old radios or stereos we can use in the float. We'll be using chicken-fencing and fabric to make the cornucopia, which we'll pull behind a truck in a trailer (full of cute enthusiast, obviously). We'll also have a generator to power music and lights, including some professional stage lights :D

You can also walk with us in the parade, which starts at 6pm on Friday the 26th - arrive a little early! (RSVP on Facebook). We'll have stickers and 90.5 KBXE info to hand out, as well as candy! The more, the merrier. Give us a call if you have any questions, 800-662-5799 or email comments@kbxe.org.

90.5 KBXE is a new independent public radio station being built by Northern Community Radio which has been operating 91.7 KAXE for almost 35 years (at 105.3fm in Bemidji). 90.5 KBXE will enhance and expand the local, community coverage of Northern Community Radio. Give KAXE a listen if you haven't, we're streaming live at http://www.kaxe.org.

Here's a video of our experience last year:

VIDEO: KBXE Zombie Crawl in Downtown Bemidji

The KBXE Zombie Crawl & Guerrilla Theater video was captured and produced by volunteer Jamie Hall, aka the Video Ninja. Thanks to the mass of zombies who dragged themselves around downtown Bemidji for the KBXE Zombie Crawl!!!

What is KBXE?

Zombies Flood Bemidji to Build Community

When word spread around Northern Community Radio that Lara Gerhardson and Mike Bredon were planning to close a street in downtown Bemidji to shoot a mass zombie scene for their film Lazarus at the same time KBXE was planning to host a Zombie Crawl in downtown Bemidji, we knew it was going to be a very cool thing. We joined forces and yeah, it was. Check out pix in our photo album.

On Sat. Oct 23rd 2010, hundreds of zombies gathered for the Lazarus film shoot on Beltrami Avenue NW and for 2 hours we dragged ourselves through the streets, mobbed a truck and had a lot of fun. Everyone involved was very happy to be there and from the film crew & producers to the security and zombies, it was all smiles between takes. The zombies ranged from young kids to grandparents.

Director Mike Bredon said that the shooting went excellent before climbing into the truck for one last mass-mob shot. "You guys have been amazing and thank you so much for being here." Local producer Gary Burger said that he was impressed by the seriousness of the the zombie participants, "I didn't see anyone goofing off at a camera, or smiling and laughing out of character. No horsing around or interrupting, just serious zombies. And that makes it so much easier for us."

Immediately following the filming was the KBXE Zombie Crawl which lead many of the undead all around Bemidji for coffee and drink specials and a little guerrilla theater (video coming soon :D). Chants of "What do we want? BRAINS! When do you want them? BRAINS!" could be heard throughout the night, and Rob Zombie's "Living Dead Girl" was played on multiple jukeboxes. The mob got bigger as the they crawled on and Brigid's Cross was packed with Zombies for live music to rock out the night.

"It's great seeing so many young people at a community radio event" said KBXE producer Doug MacRostie, "I think the zombie's helped a lot." The Zombie Crawl was to support Northern Community Radio's new station, KBXE. When it is built, KBXE will provide a new and powerful signal to people who live near Bemidji and Bagley.

Please contact us if you would like to help build KBXE!

Zombies Spotted in Bemidji!!!!!!!!!

One Night, Two Events, Lots of Zombies! On Sat. the 23rd of October we'll be flooding Bemidji with Zombies - you can be part of a Zombie Film, and/or our Zombie Crawl:

Be in Lazarus - a Zombie Movie set in Bemidji
Have you ever wanted to BE in a Zombie Movie - now is your chance! Lara Gerhardson and Mike Bredon have been working on a full-length feature film called Lazarus. It's set in Bemidji and is the story of two brothers coming to terms at the end of the world. They have a big Zombie mob scene and we need YOU to be there. They are closing Beltrami Avenue in front of Brigid's on Sat. the 23rd from 5p-7p to do a multi-angle shoot of lot...s of zombies flooding the street. Bring all your friends! Meet at the parking lot behind Brigid's Cross. Wear old raggedy clothes and be ready to act like an old-school, slow moving zombie. If you can be ready to go with costume and make-up, be there by 4:30 to be part of the scene. If you need help with make-up, then be there by 4. Filming will start around 5, after some preliminaries and training. This is going to be a lot of fun and I hope you can be a part of it. If you would be interested in helping as a make-up artist, please let us know! This film shoot will be followed by the KBXE Zombie Crawl around downtown Bemidji. RSVP on Facebook.

KBXE Zombie Crawl
Join 90.5 KBXE for an evening of cavorting and fun for our Bemidji Zombie Crawl!!! On Saturday, Oct 23rd we'll be gathering at the parking lot behind Brigid's Cross Irish pub to start the crawl at 7pm, arrive early to be part of the group! Show up in your best zombie clothes and make-up! There will be make-up artists at the parking lot behind Brigid's if you need help with that - be sure to arrive early then - maybe around 6:30.... The route will take us to 209 at 7pm, Blue Ox at 7:30, Backyard BBQ at 8, Keg N' Cork at 8:30 then finish the night off with a party and live music at Brigid's Cross Irish Pub at 9. There will be a drink special happening from 7-9p at the Cabin Coffee House too! There will be drink specials at each bar for anyone dressed as a zombie AND wearing a KBXE sticker or button (which we will have available). And we'll probably plan a few "mobbing" moments as we travel from bar to bar (more details will be given the day of ;) RSVP on Facebook.

More details at KBXE.org

What is KBXE? Find out: http://www.kaxe.org/kbxe/faqs.html

We Came, We Flash Mobbed, We Left

So wow, the KBXE Paul Bunyan Flash Mob was a HUGE success. With over 50 people coming together dressed as Paul Bunyan, a lot of smiles and double-takes at Art in the Park, and a video that has over 1,300 views in the first week it was an eye-catching event, and a lot of fun. Not sure what I'm talking about? The Video is at the bottom of this blog.

The video and story of the KBXE Paul Bunyan Flash Mob was picked up around the internet including The World News Network (see screen shot), Minnesota Brown, MinnPost, ICTV, the FlickrRiver, it was the most popular story on Northern Community Internet, the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, Strong Towns Blog, Roy C. Booth's Myspace page, and many other content repeaters :) Not to mention the people who watched on the Bemidji Chamber of Commerce Paul & Babe webcam :) There was also a clear impact on the KBXE Facebook page; compared to the previous week, our monthly active users was up 141.3%, total fans up +13.9%, interactions up 722.2%, and overall page views up 123.5%.

If you can think of anyone or anyone else who should cover this story, feel free to encourage them to do so ;) Will we do another Flash Mob? Join the Publicity Committee to find out :D

This was the latest event from the KBXE Publicity Committee, a group of volunteers working to raise public awareness and build support for 90.5 KBXE - a new independent community radio station that will serve Bagley, Bemidji and beyond. Please contact us if you would like to get involved the the Publicity Committee (email Sarah MacRostie, sdemac@paulbunyan.net), or any of the other ways you can help - call Northern Community Radio at 800-662-5799.

The KBXE Paul Bunyan Flash Mob

It was a beautiful day in downtown Bemidji. The sun was shining and people were enjoying Art in Park when a Paul Bunyan walked by. What? A Paul Bunyan? There's another! And three more! They're everywhere, what's going on here?

It was Northern Minnesota's first ever flash mob, courtesy of 90.5 KBXE. On Sunday, July 18th 2010, a group of over 50 people gathered at Diamond Point Park in Bemidji for pizza and planning. Then the group set off for the Lake Bemidji Waterfront, dressed in red and black flannel shirts, blue jeans (rolled up of course), a painted mustache and a dark knit cap. The group slowly trickled through Art in the Park, turning a lot of heads and getting even more smiles. The Mobbers then drifted to the Paul and Babe statue, where they froze one at a time. What started as a couple of frozen Paul Bunyan's grew into dozens and people stopped to watch and take pictures while passing cars honked their horns.
Members of the Flash Mob ranged in age from 88 to 1, or "older than the Paul Bunyan statue to younger than it's latest paint job." There was even a Paul Bunyan on a bicycle, and families of Paul Bunyans.

After remaining frozen as a group - they suddenly turned away from the statue and pulled open their flannel shirts to reveal KBXE Bumper Stickers to a cheer from the gathered crowd.
The KBXE Paul Bunyan Flash Mob was conducted by the Publicity Committee of KBXE - a soon-to-be-built independent community radio station that will serve Bagley, Bemidji, Fosston, Gonvick, Clearbrook, Debs, Erskine, Zerkel and beyond. Lead organizer Sarah MacRostie said, "KBXE’s publicity committee has been working hard to raise awareness in area communities in creative ways - from a phenology walk in Clearbrook to being in the Debs 4th of July parade. Getting members from the community to perform guerrilla theater in the form of a Paul Bunyan Flash Mob seemed like a perfect fit for the First City of the Arts, and a great way to get peoples' attention."

90.5 KBXE has to be broadcasting by March of 2012, and you can help make it happen! Contact us if you'd like more information or would like to join one of the committees working on this project. KBXE is being built by Northern Community Radio, whose mission is to "Build Community in Northern Minnesota through radio broadcasts, cultural events and interactive media." Northern Community Radio operates 91.7 KAXE, which is celebrating over 34 years of independent community radio with studios in Grand Rapids, and translators at 89.9 in Brainerd and 105.3 in Bemidji. KBXE is being pursued as a way to preserve community radio for that region.
More info: kbxe.org

Thanks:
The KBXE Publicity Committee

Video:
Jamie Hall

Photos:
Jeremy Anway

Food:
Papa Murphy's Pizza, Bemidji

And of course, all you Mobbers :D

Press Leak: KBXE Flash Mob

ATTENTION: Group of Volunteers Plan “Flash” Event for Bemidji’s Art in the Park

On Sunday, July 18th, during Art in the Park in downtown Bemidji, something amazing is going to happen. That something will start at 1pm and last for a matter of minutes, gathering at the Paul and Babe statue. And it’s something you should cover. Have your cameras pointed & reporters posted for Northern MN’s first ever Flash Mob, courtesy of KBXE.

At first you’ll see one or two…, then there will be one or two more…, and three more after that…and then more… what is it? Be there to find out!

Think of it as community guerrilla theater by volunteers of 90.5 KBXE, a soon to be built community radio station serving Bagley, Bemidji, Fosston, Gonvick, Clearbrook, Debs, Erskine, Zerkel and beyond.

This information is embargoed until culmination of the event on July 18th and should not be announced in advance. Contact me if you have any questions.

Thanks and see ya there,
Doug

Doug MacRostie
Northern Community Radio
260 NE 2nd St
Grand Rapids MN 55744
218/326-1234
800/662-5799
mac@kaxe.org

91.7 KAXE www.kaxe.org
90.5 KBXE www.kbxe.org
www.northerncommunityinternet.org

----------------------------------------------------
P.S. If you want to be involved with this event, get in touch with KBXE Publicity Committee by contacting Sarah MacRostie at sdemac@paulbunyan.net.

Why Is KBXE?

by Scott Hall & Maggie Montgomery

There's much excitement and energy for KBXE, the new station Northern Community Radio is building to better serve the Bemidji and Bagley areas. Many people have come forward in Beltrami and Clearwater counties to help us with the planning, building and fundraising. Some listeners from other parts of the KAXE listening area have asked, "Why are you building KBXE?"

The answer is to preserve community radio in that region. Many new radio stations have been built in north central MN since KAXE first went on the air in 1976. It is getting harder to get KAXE’s 91.7 signal to Bemidji due to HD Interference and summer fades, and the signal will get worse because the FCC just gave radio stations permission to increase the power of their HD transmissions. In the case of 105.3, it's possible we could lose that signal altogether because it's in the commercial spectrum - which means a commercial entity could take the signal and we would have no recourse.

Northern Community Radio intends to preserve a signal for community radio in our region and has the financial resources to expand its service. Failure to act will mean loss of audience, and that will erode our financial support. KBXE will add energy, creativity and substance to Northern Community Radio’s programming, on both KAXE and KBXE, and on our websites and social media networks.

This is an opportunity to expand our mission to over 40,000 new people and several communities to the west, including people who don’t currently have access to a public radio signal, giving more people the opportunity to directly participate—the opportunity to create radio programs and other media using Northern Community Radio’s facilities. KBXE will be a regional broadcaster and an asset in its communities of service.

KBXE will broadcast at 90.5 and is the best solution to guaranteeing a reliable signal for those many loyal KAXE listeners. It will also enable us to reach people who may have never heard KAXE. This is an exciting opportunity and we hope you'll be involved.

We have a very active Publicity Committee that is planning monthly (or more) events - whether you'd like to share ideas, answer questions at an info table, want to help with construction, or just have a lot of energy to focus - please let us know, email kbxe@kbxe.org, or call 800-662-5799.

What's So Exciting About KBXE?

[Originally published 10/27/09 on 91.7 KAXE Notes]

If you look carefully at those distinctive green KAXE bumper stickers, you might notice something different…on some of those stickers the “A” in KAXE has been replaced with a “B.” You are seeing the very first bumper stickers for Northern Community Radio’s new station that will serve Bagley, the Bemidji area, and points west: KBXE!

90.5 KBXE has to be on the air by March 23, 2012! Building a new radio station is a whirlwind of problems to solve and opportunities to seize, but collaborating with folks from Bemidji and Bagley has been a lot of fun. KAXE members from the “western fringe” are sharing their creativity, knowledge of the area, and professional expertise. Committees are hard at work, progress is being made in the search for studio and tower space, and we’re figuring out how we might raise a pile of money in tough economic times. Fashionable folks across northern Minnesota are sporting enigmatic green buttons on their shirts and coats that ask, “What is KBXE?”

There are lots of reasons for excitement! One of those reasons is that KBXE will be founded in 2011 or 2012, and it will have the benefit of everything we’ve managed to learn at KAXE over the past 33 years—all those mistakes and triumphs that have taught us important lessons about being an authentic local radio station for northern Minnesota.

KAXE was founded in 1976, and there will always be a lot of 1976 in KAXE. As much as we pride ourselves on KAXE’s good reputation and its contributions to the wider world of community and public radio, the inertia of the past sometimes makes it hard for us to adopt new ideas and methods. With KBXE we can create an innovative and thoroughly modern version of our medium. KBXE will reach out to new people. KBXE will develop its own quirks, its own attitude, new programs and sensibilities.

Here’s another exciting thing: At the first KBXE community meeting in August, people clearly said they hoped we would build in the ability to pass a signal back and forth between KAXE and KBXE. Sometimes KBXE’s program would be on both stations and sometimes KAXE’s program would be on both stations, and sometimes each station would operate independently, broadcasting separate programs.

A relationship like this between stations is fairly unusual in broadcasting. A more normal model is for a lead station to broadcast to one or more repeaters without give and take, except maybe for the occasional remote studio interview.

This way of passing the signal back and forth has the potential to bring about some positive consequences. In northeastern and north central MN, KAXE has helped create a sense of neighborliness and belonging. That’s our mission. We call it “building community.” The relationship between KAXE and KBXE may help create an even larger sense of neighborliness—a sense of “northern Minnesota-ness”—that stretches across the whole top part of the state!

In the overall world of radio, community stations are fairly rare. There are only a handful of community-licensed stations in Minnesota. KBXE and KAXE together will help us bring out the best of the culture of our region and show it off as few other media organizations can. What we are building here is going to take a lot of work, but it will be a wonderful asset!

I hope you are all as jazzed about this as I am! Call us if you’d like to help with this project, or if you want one of those new KBXE bumper stickers or a fashionable “What is KBXE?” button: 800/662-5799 or 218/326-1234.

Stay tuned. There will be more reports as things develop…

-Maggie Montgomery

91.7 KAXE & 90.5 KBXE, Northern Community Radio

[originally published 9/11/09 on 91.7 KAXE Notes]

In early August, the FCC awarded Northern Community Radio a construction permit to build a new radio station that would serve the Bagley/Bemidji area.

We hope you will call KAXE at 218/326-1234 if you have any questions or want to help build KBXE! You can join a committee for construction, fundraising, events, technical crew or publicity OR you can come to the next general meeting.

KBXE will be a noncommercial station licensed in the city of Bagley. Depending on the final location and power of the KBXE transmitter, the station could serve Bemidji, Fosston, Gonvick, Clearbrook, Debs, Erskine and Zerkel.

KBXE can broadcast at as much as 100,000 watts, or it may be more cost effective to use less power. In some respects, the location of the transmitter will determine the ERP (effective radiated power) of KBXE. A high power station cannot be located near some other stations due to interference issues, while a lower power station would have more location options.

KBXE’s construction permit was originally awarded to the Headwaters Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (HUUF) in Bemidji. Northern Community Radio signed a purchase agreement with HUUF to obtain the construction permit, at cost. HUUF was interested in bringing a community radio station to Bemidji. The HUUF agreement stipulates that Northern Community Radio cannot transfer KBXE’s license to any other organization for at least 10 years. This is so Northern Community Radio cannot just build and then sell KBXE to make money. HUUF definitely wants a community radio station to serve the Bemidji area, but did not think this was something they could do themselves.

Now Northern Community Radio is the sole owner of the KBXE construction permit. Northern Community Radio’s board of directors will “own” KBXE on behalf of the community. Our organization’s mission, which is to “build community in northern MN through radio broadcasting, cultural events and interactive media,” will guide KBXE just as it does KAXE. KBXE will serve a wide broadcast area just as KAXE does.

Northern Community Radio was interested in a new station because KAXE’s signal to the west is experiencing more and more interference. Translators are low priority for the FCC and do not have the protections that full-power stations do. KAXE’s Bemidji translator is in the commercial band, making it especially vulnerable. A commercial broadcaster could take its 105.3 frequency for a full-power commercial station if the FCC opens another filing window. The radio spectrum is a limited natural resource. KBXE’s 90.5 frequency is the last remaining noncommercial frequency that can serve the Bemidji area.

In all, 5 entities applied for this broadcast license. A settlement agreement allowed both the Unitarians and Leech Lake Reservation to squeeze in their proposed stations before Northern Community Radio purchased the construction permit. Leech Lake Reservation is building a tribal station that will broadcast at 90.1 FM. Its call sign is KOJB.

Northern Community Radio plans to build studios in Bemidji, although the location hasn’t been determined yet. At an initial gathering in Bemidji with about 80 KAXE members, those attending said locating downtown, building green, and including a performance space were important considerations. They also thought KBXE should be a mix of KAXE and locally originated content, that KBXE should air NPR programs, and that KBXE should have its own version of the Morning Show. Everyone wants to meet again in a month or two. New people are welcome to join the process at any time!

A committee is working now on a tower location. They are trying to determine if we can build a tower of if we should rent one, and where.

Another group is looking at studio location options. They are looking at land and buildings and talking about the pros and cons of locating with other organizations and building new versus renovating.

Yet another group will help raise the money to get the project done. The project will have to show significant community support before it will be able to get matching money from foundations or government agencies.

There is a lot more to do, including reaching out to more people in the Bagley area, but this is a start!

There is a deadline. KBXE has to be built and operational by March 23, 2012 or Northern Community Radio will lose its construction permit. The tower and transmission plant are high priority in getting the station on the air by the deadline. There are a lot of unknowns, but we think it will cost at least $1 million to build the tower, transmitter and studios, and possibly closer to $1.5 million.

Call or email KAXE/Northern Community Radio if you have ideas, want to sign up for a committee or would like more information: 218/326-1234 or kaxe@kaxe.org.