KRCU Public Radio at Southeast Missouri State University completed the second phase of its newest expansion project on Friday, Dec. 11, when KDMC 91.3 FM signed on the air from its new home in Ellsinore, Missouri.
The second phase involved moving the transmission site to Ellsinore from Van Buran, Missouri, which allows the station to provide a better signal to southeast Missouri listeners.
Our transmission site in Van Buren was always a temporary home for the station. The move to Ellsinore allows KRCU Public Radios signal to be heard in the southeastern part of Missouri and cover the traditional service area of Southeast Missouri State University, said General Manager Dan Woods.
While this is a major step in the expansion project, there is still more work to do, Woods said.
The second phase move to Ellsinore initially will result in a decrease in 91.3 FMs signal strength, from 100,000 to 12,000 watts. However, the expansion project is slated to be completed in early 2021 with the installation of a new antenna and other equipment, allowing the station to return to its original power level of 100,000 watts on a new frequency which will provide a much clearer signal to listeners.
This has impacted the signal strength for some of our listeners, but this temporary inconvenience is a small step of this project, and once complete, this transition will better serve our listeners across southeast Missouri, Woods said.
Once the full project is completed, the station will reach nearly 80,000 listeners in 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.