New KRSM antenna broadcasting from the top of North Star Mini Storage on Lake Street in S. Minneapolis
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, November 24, 2017
Contact: Brendan Kelly
KRSM Station Manager
612-735-1825
contact@krsmradio.org
NEW RADIO STATION HITS SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS AIRWAVES
98.9 FM – KRSM begins broadcasting voices historically erased by traditional media
November 24, 2017 — Minneapolis, MN — Today, a new community radio station began broadcasting on 98.9 FM to a potential 300,000 Minneapolis listeners. KRSM Southside Media Project is a low-power FM radio station that operates out of Waite House Community Center in South Minneapolis as part of the Community Media Initiative by Pillsbury United Communities. The station, which began livestreaming online in March of this year, will share 65 hours per week of original programming in 6 different languages created by a team of over 100 volunteers and hosts. The weekly schedule includes shows about mental health, community organizing, relationships and sexuality, entrepreneurship, history, music and more. The station will also feature syndicated content such as lessons in Ojibwe language, history, and culture created by partner stations on Native reservations around greater Minnesota as well as Spanish-language content from Democracy Now.
Of the power intrinsic to community radio, Advisory Board member Danielle Mkali said, “From advocating with media justice partners nationally to working in our local communities, we’ve been able to build a station from the ground up. It’s an opportunity to learn and listen to our own stories, which means that we are shaping our world together. Community radio can be a healing and community-building space.”
KRSM is designed to provide a platform for elevating the voices, narratives, and cultures of communities that have a history of being marginalized, misrepresented, and erased by traditional media. Over half of the shows are run by women, 73% are hosted by Indigenous and people of color, and 80% of the hosts have had no previous experience working in radio. The station also serves as an on-ramp to jobs in the media industry by offering free training opportunities and access to professional grade equipment. New programming to expect soon includes a monthly radio novella from El Colegio high schoolers as well as a show run entirely by people incarcerated in prison. The full show schedule is available online at krsmradio.org, and listeners can access programming through the website, mobile app, or 98.9 FM.
About Pillsbury United Communities: For more than 135 years Pillsbury United Communities has worked to create choice, change and connection in underestimated populations across Minneapolis to foster the resilience and self-sufficiency of individuals, families and community as a whole. We design solutions that address a spectrum of intersecting needs—from education to employment to health. We’re creating a new model for nonprofit organizations with an interconnected system of programs, community centers, and social enterprises connects with over 55,000 individuals each year. More information about Pillsbury United Communities is available at www.pillsburyunited.org.
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