KRCU Public Radio has extended its coverage area in southeast Missouri with the addition of KDMC 91.3 FM in Van Buren, Missouri.

KRCU Public Radio at Southeast Missouri State University completed the first phase of its newest expansion project on Thursday, May 14, when KDMC 91.3 FM signed on the air from Van Buren, Missouri, at approximately 3 p.m.

General Manager Dan Woods said it was exciting to hear KRCUs programming filling the airwaves in a new portion of southeast Missouri.

I grew up just south of Poplar Bluff, and I am excited that our quality programming is now available to a new audience and area that I am very familiar with, Woods said.

The station broadcasts with 100,000 watts of power, and listeners in Van Buren and Poplar Bluff have already contacted KRCU to express excitement about having a new listening option on the radio dial. We received positive feedback very quickly which was great, he said.

The next phase of the project will involve moving the transmission site to Ellsinore, Missouri, which will allow the station to provide an even better signal in the future. Once the full project is completed this fall, the station will reach nearly 80,000 listeners, many of whom dont currently receive a reliable public radio signal. With the addition of the new repeater station, KRCU will provide service to the communities of Poplar Bluff, Van Buren, Ellsinore, Doniphan and Piedmont in Missouri, and in northern Arkansas.

The Board of Regents approved the purchase of the station in September 2019. An anonymous donor committed to covering the initial costs of the project and the first two years of operating expenses. Annual operating costs for KDMC will be covered through corporate underwriting and individual donations.

KRCU Public Radio is owned and operated by Southeast Missouri State University with studios located behind Academic Hall on SEMOs main campus in Cape Girardeau. KRCU went on the air from Southeast Missouri State University in 1976. The station transitioned from a student-run radio station to an NPR member station in November 1990. The station expanded its coverage area in 2006 to the Farmington area. This is the stations second major expansion.

KRCU Public Radio is a National Public Radio member station and is located on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University and broadcasts on 90.9 FM, KRCU in Cape Girardeau, 88.9 FM, KSEF in Ste. Genevieve and Farmington and 91.3 FM, KDMC in Van Buren and Poplar Bluff. KRCU can be heard anywhere in the world at www.krcu.org.