KVSC

KVSC (88.1 FM) is a non-commercial college radio station in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. The station is operated by St. Cloud State University (SCSU). KVSC-FM is run by a combination of student employees and community volunteers, broadcasting an eclectic range of music with an emphasis on modern alternative and indie rock. KVSC is also well known for its annual 50-hour trivia weekend. KVSC is a charter member of AMPERS (The Association of Minnesota Public and Educational Radio Stations).

Prior to KVSC's creation, St. Cloud State University students had no on-campus radio broadcasting opportunities. The university's first foray into radio started in 1960 with the formation of SCSU's Radio Guild. The Guild pre-produced programming in university studios for later broadcasting on WJON (1240 AM), but their members began wanting to develop programming that didn't fit the station's Sunday evening campus show. Due to increasing interest from the student population, it was decided that there was a significant need for St. Cloud State University to have it's own radio broadcast facility - and KVSC was developed.

KVSC first began broadcasting at 88.5 MHz operations as a 10-watt, Class D broadcast facility on May 10, 1967. The call letters were selected to signify that the station would serve as The Voice of Saint Cloud. The station was financed by the student activity fees and the Mass Communications department, required minimal funding outside of equipment acquisition and repair. KVSC initially only broadcast with limited hours during the school year - with the station's music format being predominantly classical. By the mid-1970s, KVSC had transitioned to a progressive rock radio format - with smaller percentages of folk and jazz sprinkled in.

On numerous occasions throughout the 1970s, KVSC to increase its broadcast power. After securing approval in 1981. KVSC officially moved down the dial to 88.1 MHz and increased power to 5,200 watts on February 8, 1983. KVSC was amended to a radio class C2 operation, and licensed to operate 20 hours per day. Unfortunately, broadcasting at this new level caused interference with local television reception. Just over one month after the long-awaited increase, St. Cloud State University voluntarily elected to reduce KVSC's output power to 1,300 watts until a more permanent solution to this interference could be found.

In 1983, KVSC rebranded itself as "Your Sound Alternative" due to their giving significant coverage of the burgeoning college rock scene. However, In June 1984, student directors elected to change KVSC to a Top 40 "hit radio" format. During this period, KVSC lost its unique listener appeal and experienced numerous staffing changes. In the spring of 1985, university administration made the decision to override the student directors' decision and revert KVSC's format back to alternative.

During the summer of 1986, the university administration approved the institution of KVSC's first full-time paid staff position. Kevin Ridley was a graduate of SCSU's Mass Communications program. He took on the position of Station Manager, acting as a full-time liaison between the university administration and the KVSC staff from 1986 to 1991. He was succeeded by Jo McMullen-Boyer, another graduate of the Mass Communications program at SCSU. During her tenure, KVSC began broadcasting 24 hours a day in September 1994 - a practice that has continued through the present. Additionally, after several years of planning, KVSC also began broadcasting its radio signal on the Internet in October 1999. McMullen-Boyer retired from her position in 2023. The current Station Manager is Dan Seeger.

KVSC broadcasts with a power of 16,500 watts with an approximate listening radius of 70 miles, reaching Stearns, Benton, Sherburne, Wright, Meeker, Kandiyohi, Todd, Morrison, Mille Lacs, Kanabec, and Isanti County. The station's frequency is 88.1 MHz - which has resulted in the station's secondary tag line, "The Farthest Left on Your FM Dial." It's transmitter is located near Highway 15 and Interstate 94 south of St. Cloud proper. In addition to a standard analog transmission, KVSC simulcasts to the Twin Cities metropolitan area via the third HD Radio digital subchannel of KMOJ 89.9 and streams online via the TuneIn app.

KVSC offers a blend of progressive rock, jazz, folk, reggae, world, blues, Minnesota music, and much more. KVSC has a wide variety of news programming, which includes coverage of university, local & statewide events, and live broadcasts of St. Cloud State University sporting events. The station carries an HD-subchannel, KVSC 88.1 HD-2 that rebroadcasts sister station Radio X. KVSC 88.1 HD-3 is primarily jazz music. KVSC 88.1 HD-4 is a rebroadcast of "The Ice", which is also aired on KMOJ 89.9 HD-2 in the twin cities. KVSC has also aired special programming prepared outside of St. Cloud, including a docudrama program regarding the Duluth lynchings in the 1920s. KVSC has received acclaim for outstanding efforts in the areas of public affairs, programming, news and sports coverage, pre-produced features and live music coverage. Notable alumni include Dick Bremer, Jill Riley (89.3 The Current), and Rob Callahan (City Pages).

KVSC is well known in central Minnesota for its annual 50-hour trivia marathon. The contest began in 1980 with 25 participating teams, as a way to entertain students in the residence halls on campus. In 2007, 80 teams participated, setting an all-time record. The contest begins at 5 p.m. on the second Friday in February, and ends at 7 p.m. on the following Sunday. During each of the 50 intervening hours, DJs read nine or more trivia questions over the air. Teams are to call in with the correct answer before the time limit on the question expires. Question values have ranged from 10 to 500 points (in the 2008 and 2009 contests, instead of a single 500-point question for which teams had two hours, four 250-point questions were asked, one at the top of each of the last four hours), and any team that answers a question correctly in the allotted time (generally ranging from 5 to 30 minutes) is awarded the value of that question. The team with the most points at the end of the contest wins, and is the owner for a year of the chipped vase known as The Minnesota Masters of Trivia Traveling Trophy. The contest is staffed by volunteers and sponsored by local businesses.

• Campus radio
• List of college radio stations in the United States

• KVSC Official Web Site
• Facebook Fan Page
• Official Twitter Page
• Official Myspace Page
• Facility details for Facility ID 62112 (KVSC) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• KVSC in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
• Trivia 2008 Final Scores
• KVSC Trivia Theme History
• Featuring an aircheck of 1st Trivia Weekend (1980) including announcement of winners plus an interview with Tom & Harry Chapin from 1980.

45°31′01″N 94°13′52″W / 45.517°N 94.231°W / 45.517; -94.231