Broadcast area Lansing, Michigan Class D Frequency 870 kHz Format Talk radio Area Lansing Sister stations WKAR-TV, WKAR-FM | Power 10,000 watts day only Facility ID 41684 City of license East Lansing Owner Michigan State University Branding NewsTalk 870 | |
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Translator(s) 94.5 MHz
W255BC Plainwell, Michigan First air date May 13, 1922 (experimental 1917–22) | ||
WKAR is a National Public Radio member station in East Lansing, Michigan, United States; broadcasting at 870 kHz. It is owned by Michigan State University, and carries news and talk shows from NPR. The station has also been licensed a construction permit for a FM Translator at 94.5 MHz (W255BC). It is part of MSU's Broadcasting Services Division, and is a sister station to the FM radio and television stations with the same call letters. Its studios and offices are located in the Communication Arts and Sciences Building, at the southeast corner of Wilson and Red Cedar Roads on the MSU campus.
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The station dates to experimental broadcasts at Michigan State, then known as Michigan Agricultural College, beginning in 1917. WKAR's first official broadcast was a "Founder's Day" speech on May 13, 1922. MAC was granted a full license on August 18, 1922. Although the call letters appear to stand for K(C)ollege of AgricultuRe, they were actually randomly assigned by Herbert Hoover, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce (which was the sole radio licensing authority). It was the only radio station in the Lansing area until 1934.
Originally broadcasting at AM 1050, it moved to 1080 in 1928. It moved to 1040 in 1930 to alleviate interference with KRLD in Dallas, but had to move to 850 in 1936 and to its current home on 870 in 1941 Between 1939-1941 WKAR boosted power from 1,000 to 5,000 watts. The station went to its current 10,000 watts in the late 1960s. The WKAR stations were charter members of NPR, and were among the 90 stations that carried the initial broadcast of All Things Considered.
The station is one of the few NPR stations that does not operate 24 hours a day. It must sign off at sundown to protect WWL in New Orleans. During the winter months, it generally signs off between 5 pm and 6 pm, returning to the air at 8 am. During the summer months, it generally signs off at 8 pm and returns to the air at 6 am. The majority of its schedule consists of NPR national programming. Local programs include the daily news/arts magazine Current State, the daily sports talk/call-in Current Sports and the long-running Spanish-language Ondas en Español hosted by Tony "El Chayo" Cervantes on weekends.
HD Signal
Since 2010, WKAR's programming has been simulcast on WKAR-FM's HD subcarrier during the AM station's hours of operation. Originally on the FM station's second channel (HD2), it moved to a new third channel (HD3) in 2012. The NPR news and talk format continues after the AM signoff, providing a 24/7 NPR service to Lansing listeners with HD Radio receivers. This feed is also streamed via the station's website. Before 2010, Michigan Radio flagship WUOM in Ann Arbor was the only source of 24-hour NPR news programming for Lansing; its signal easily covers most of the Lansing area.
Analog Signal
Its 10,000-watt signal reaches as far east as Flint and Ann Arbor, and as far west as Grand Rapids.