The Association of Minnesota Public Educational Radio Stations (Ampers), the nation’s
largest association of its kind, will be back at the Minnesota State Fair this summer.
This is Ampers’ second appearance at the popular summer gathering place that typically
attracts nearly 1.8 million visitors each year. Ten of Ampers’18 community radio stations
will broadcast live this year.
“We’re extremely excited to be back at the Minnesota State Fair again this year,” Ampers
Chief Executive Officer Joel Glaser said. “It’s a great opportunity for our stations to
showcase the unique entertaining and inspirational programming they offer all Minnesotans.
And, by broadcasting live, the Fair gets to reach our diverse, rural and underserved communities
they were not reaching through traditional media.”
“Hosting AMPERS and its stations for 12 days of live broadcasts allows us to bring the story
of the State Fair to communities in every corner of Minnesota. Ampers is a catalyst in broadening
the reach of this end of summer tradition and works to further our role as the state’s Great
Minnesota Get-Together,’” says Brienna Schuette, Marketing and Communications Manager of the
Minnesota State Fair.
The Ampers booth will be located in the Education Building right along Snelling Avenue and
Cosgrove Street. KAXE, KBEM, KBFT, KFAI, KKWE, KMSU, KQAL, KSRQ, KUMD, and WTIP will take turns
broadcasting live from the Ampers booth. KMOJ will be broadcasting live from the northwest corner
of Judson Avenue and Clough Street. Many of the stations will be giving away free bags. And Ampers
will be giving away free CDs of The Best of MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds Volume III,
a project funded by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities, is an association of 18 independent community
radio stations in Minnesota. Each station is locally managed and programmed by and for the local
communities they serve. The stations are all licensed to a college, school, university, Native American
tribe, or directly to the community.
The stations include: WTIP (Grand Marais/Grand Portage/Gunflint Trail), KAXE and KBXE (Grand Rapids,
Bemidji, Brainerd), KSRQ (Thief River Falls), KUMD (Duluth/Superior), KVSC (St. Cloud), KUMM (Morris),
KFAI (Minneapolis/St. Paul), KMOJ (Minneapolis/St. Paul), KUOM “Radio K” (Minneapolis/St. Paul),
KBEM “Jazz88” (Minneapolis/St. Paul), KMSU (Mankato/Austin), KQAL (Winona), KOJB (Cass Lake/Bena),
KBFT (Nett Lake), and KKWE (White Earth/Callaway), WGZS (Cloquet), and now KRPR (Rochester).
Ampers has no affiliation with Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) and receives no financial support from MPR.
