View source for KFAI

{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name = KFAI
| logo = [[Image:KFAI logo.png|250px|KFAI logo]]
| city = [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]]
| area = [[Minneapolis-St. Paul]]
| branding = Fresh Air Community Radio
| airdate = May 1, [[1978 in radio|1978]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kfai.org/20th/history.htm|title=KFAI: 20 Years|date=January 11, 2006|website=Internet Archive Wayback Machine|publisher=KFAI
|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060111120539/http://kfai.org/20th/history.htm|archive-date=2006-01-11}}</ref>
| frequency = 90.3 [[MHz]] {{HD Radio}}
| format = [[Free-form radio|Freeform]], [[Eclectic radio|Eclectic]], [[Music]], [[News/Talk]], [[Variety (radio)|Variety]]
| subchannels = HD2: FA-2 (Variety)
| erp = 900 [[watt]]s
| haat = {{convert|241|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| class = A
| callsign_meaning = '''F'''resh '''A'''ir, '''I'''nc.
| owner = Fresh Air, Inc.
| webcast = [http://tres.kfai.org:8000/listen.pls Listen Live]
| website = [http://www.kfai.org kfai.org]
| affiliations = [[AMPERS]]
| licensing_authority = [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]
}}

'''KFAI''' (90.3 [[FM broadcasting|FM]]) is a [[noncommercial]] [[community radio|community]] [[radio station]] located in [[Minneapolis]], [[Minnesota]], broadcasting to the [[Twin Cities]] of [[Minneapolis-St. Paul]].

The station broadcasts programming for many of the diverse [[ethnicity|ethnic]] groups of the region, including a wide variety of [[music]]. KFAI has frequently been honored by local media outlets for its variety of spoken-word content and musical diversity (defunct local alternative weekly ''[[City Pages]]'' often included the station in its annual "Best of the Twin Cities" awards).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ampers.org/about-ampers/awards|title=Awards - AMPERS|work=Association of Minnesota Public Educational Radio Stations|access-date=April 26, 2024}}</ref>

KFAI offers weekly [[Public-access television|public access]] services through mentorship and resource-sharing. KFAI is a member of Minnesota's [[AMPERS]] association. Because KFAI's multi-format programming covers the largest range of identities of the region, it is considered by many to be AMPERS' [[flagship]] station.  The [[callsign (radio)|call sign]] stands for '''Fresh Air, Inc.'', the concept of the station and founding nonprofit organization that operates it.

KFAI's studios are located on Riverside Avenue in the [[Cedar-Riverside, Minneapolis|Cedar-Riverside]] neighborhood of Minneapolis' West Bank, while its transmitter is located atop the [[IDS Center]] in [[downtown Minneapolis]].

==History==
[[Image:KFAI-entrance-Minneapolis.jpg|thumb|left|KFAI Studio entrance]]
[[Image:Belfast Poets-KFAI studio-Minneapolis-20070808.jpg|thumb|right|Belfast Poets Touring Group and Jill Anna Ponasik (foreground) on KFAI "Art Matters"]]
The station went on the air with a 10-[[watt]] signal on May 1, [[1978 in radio|1978]], after drawn-out negotiations with the [[Federal Communications Commission]].  Its first home was in the belfry of Walker Community Church in South Minneapolis.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://alleynews.org/2018/06/kfai-remembers-balcony-beginnings-40-years-ago-with-documentary|work=The Alley News|title=KFAI remembers balcony beginnings 40 years ago with documentary|date=June 29, 2018}}</ref>
In [[1984 in radio|1984]], the transmitter was moved from the roof of the Seward Co-op to the top of the [[Foshay Tower]] in downtown Minneapolis and upgraded to 125 watts.  The studios moved from the church two years later, relocating to the second floor of Butler Drug store on East Lake Street.  In [[1991 in radio|1991]], new studios were built at [[Cedar-Riverside]] near the University of Minnesota, where it operates today.  A 170-watt [[West St. Paul, Minnesota|West St. Paul]] [[Broadcast relay station|translator]] station was added in [[1994 in radio|1994]] to improve reception on the east side of the metro; it was sold to Hmong Radio Broadcast, LLC in May 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kfai.org/about/history|work=KFAI|title=History|access-date=April 26, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://northpine.com/2020/05/06/twin-cities-fm-signal-sold-to-am-broadcaster|title=Twin Cities FM signal sold to AM broadcaster|work=NorthPine.com|author=Jon Ellis|date=May 6, 2020}}</ref>

In March [[2007 in radio|2007]], KFAI's main transmitter moved to the [[IDS Center]], after the new owner of the Foshay Tower evicted all tenants when the complex was redeveloped into a hotel.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2005/09/05/daily24.html|work=Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal|date=September 5, 2005|title=Developers to convert Foshay into hotel|author=Ellen P. Gabler}}</ref> Since November 6, 2007, the station has been operating with an effective radiated power of 900 watts and a height of {{convert|247|m|ft|0}} above ground.  This upgrade allows the station to have a stronger signal from the IDS Center, which extends the station's coverage deeper into St. Paul and the southeast suburbs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fccdata.org/?facid=&call=KFAI&ccode=1&city=&state=&country=US&zip=&arn=&party=&lmspf=&lmspl=&party_type=ELMFA&latd=&lond=&lang=en|work=FCCData.org|title=KFAI-FM|access-date=April 26, 2024}}</ref>

KFAI's programming is targeted to the [[Minneapolis-St. Paul|Twin Cities]] core communities. Three other AMPERS stations exist in Minneapolis-St. Paul: [[KBEM-FM]] (jazz), [[KMOJ]] (urban), and [[KUOM]] (college/eclectic). [[KVSC]] in [[St. Cloud, Minnesota]], another college station, can also be received by some area residents.

In mid-2010, KFAI changed its weekday programming schedule to an all-news format from 6 to 10 a.m. The change included the scheduling of ''[[The Takeaway]]'', a three-hour syndicated show from [[Public Radio International]] (PRI). Some longtime listeners and programmers were upset with the change, charging the station with abandoning its volunteer programming model. ''The Takeaway'' was  dropped two years later, after PRI announced the decision to reduce it to a one-hour show.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.twincities.com/2010/06/24/kfai-shifts-lineup-to-cluster-news-music|title=KFAI shifts lineup to cluster news, music|work=[[St. Paul Pioneer Press]]|date=June 24, 2010|author=Amy Carlson Gustafson}}</ref>  In 2017, the station again revamped its programming lineup to become "a different radio station every hour."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/07/19/major-revamp-for-kfai|work=[[Minnesota Public Radio]]|title=Major revamp for KFAI|date=July 19, 2017|author=Bob Collins}}</ref>

Today, KFAI is known for its eclectic entertainment and public affairs programming that features 89 programs in nine languages, with 84 programs produced locally and in-house. Only a handful of programs are produced by outside sources: [[Democracy Now!|Democracy Now]], [https://counterstoriespodcast.org/ Counter Stories] and [https://ampers.org/native-lights-podcast/ Native Lights] (AMPERS), The Conversation with Al McFarlane ([https://www.insightnews.com/ Insight News]), and rotating features from two area [[Low-power broadcasting|LPFM]] stations.

==Programming==
People of color, the LGBTQIA+ community, and many intersectional identities lead more than 50% of the programs on the broadcast schedule, making KFAI one of Minnesota's most culturally, generationally, and socio-economically diverse broadcast media outlets.

KFAI's immediate neighborhood is home to the largest Somali community in the United States and Minnesota's most culturally diverse neighborhood, Cedar-Riverside/West Bank. Beyond the broadcast, KFAI supports community building through developing, hosting, presenting, and sponsoring arts, entertainment, and cultural events across the Twin Cities.

KFAI is home to Fresh Fruit, the longest-running LGBTQIA+ radio program in the nation.

Languages spoken on-air at KFAI include [[Amharic]], [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]], [[Dari]], [[English language|English]], [[Filipino language|Filipino]], [[French language|French]], [[Oromo language|Oromo]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Tigrinya language|Tigrinya]], [[Somali language|Somali]], and [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese.]]

As a multi-format radio station, KFAI embodies the spirit of [[eclecticism]]. For example, one might find a [[Blues]] program followed by an hour of news about [[LGBT]] issues, or a [[Reggae]] program followed by an hour of Somali [[Public affairs (broadcasting)|public affairs]] programming, and so on. Although programs almost always occupy the same blocks from week to week, programs often have little or no connection to what precedes or follows them.

Some of the station's programming is carried on other radio stations. '''''Crap from the Past, Radio Pocho''','' and '''''Womenfolk''','' air on several stations across [[North America]], and one affiliate in [[New Zealand]].

In 2024, KFAI added an HD sub-channel, known as FA-2 ('''F'''resh '''A'''ir 2). Programming for this sub-channel was previously heard online only.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kfai.org/fa2stream/|title=Fresh Air 2|website=KFAI.org|access-date=May 12, 2024}}</ref>

== Notable personalities ==
* [[Dale Connelly]]<ref>{{Cite web|date=2011-06-08|title=Dale Connelly named KFAI news director|url=https://www.minnpost.com/braublog/2011/06/dale-connelly-named-kfai-news-director/|access-date=2021-07-27|website=MinnPost|language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[Nicholas David]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://kfai.org/farewells-and-returns-happy-trails-for-east-of-here-west-of-now-glorth-radio-returns/ | title=Farewells and Returns: Happy Trails for East of Here, West of Now; Glorth Radio Returns; &#124; News | date=2 August 2023 }}</ref>
* [[Charlie Parr]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Charlie Parr|url=https://www.kfai.org/personality/charlieparr/|access-date=2021-07-27|website=KFAI - Minneapolis + St. Paul|language=en-US|archive-date=July 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727163048/https://www.kfai.org/personality/charlieparr/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Mark Wheat]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wheat|first=Cecilia Johnson and Mark|title=Mark Wheat talks DJ career, love for music|url=https://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2020/10/16/mark-wheat-first-avenue-dj-minnesota-music-bonus-goodbye|access-date=2021-07-27|website=www.thecurrent.org}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of community radio stations in the United States]]

== References ==
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{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.kfai.org/ KFAI official website]
{{FM station data|22630|KFAI}}
*[http://www.greatnorthernaudio.com/sfx.html Sound Affects: audio theater]
*[http://romm.org/podcast/Dave%20Romm%27s%20Portal/Podcast/Podcast.html Shockwave Radio Theater Podcasts]{{Dead link|date=February 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
*[http://www.crapfromthepast.com/archives/index.htm Crap From the Past archives]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071213065246/http://www.styluscity.org/KFAI/ KFAI's page on StylusCity]
*[http://www.rakemag.com/reporting/rakish-angle/higher-fi/ Higher than Fi]

{{Minneapolis-St. Paul Radio}}

{{coord|44.9761|N|93.2727|W|type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC|display=title}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Minneapolis–Saint Paul]]
[[Category:Independent Public Radio]]
[[Category:Community radio stations in the United States]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1978]]
[[Category:1978 establishments in Minnesota]]