New radio station goes live in south Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - A new community radio station hit the airwaves in south Minneapolis for the first time ever Friday morning. It’s a different sort of radio and depending on when you tune in, there’s no telling what you might hear.

“By design, we’ve got a little bit of everything,” said Brendan Kelly, the station manager.

98.9 KRSM is a new low power FM radio station in south Minneapolis, featuring programming in six different languages. Topics range from mental health and relationships to music and history.

“When this station is working at its best, it sounds a lot like walking through my neighborhood,” said Kelly. “You hear conversations in different languages. You hear people who are celebrating, people who are protesting, people who just want to listen to good music.” 

Kelly is the only paid employee with hundreds of volunteers providing the content and inspiration that hits the air every day.

“When you are in here, you are really surrounded by gifts and contributions from your community for sure,” said Kelly.

Much of the gear and technology has been donated. It’s all part of an effort to build a radio station that doesn’t just cover the community, but in a literal sense is the community. 

“And it also puts a burden of responsibility on people like myself and I’m hoping this station can play a role in educating and connecting people from different backgrounds,” said Kelly.