(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – Kansas City Public Television officially took over the radio station 90.9 FM The Bridge on Tuesday.
The University of Central Missouri transferred ownership of the 100,000-watt station to KCPT after the Federal Communications Commission approved KCPT’s request to purchase the license to broadcast on that frequency.
The transfer occurred Tuesday following KTBG’s 7 p.m. broadcast of “All Things Considered.” UCM sold the station for $1.1 million.
UCM will also receive $550,000 in promotional underwriting, the establishment of a UCM-KCPT-KTBG internship program for UCM students, and other collaborative initiatives, said Jeff Murphy, assistant director for UCM Media Relations.
KCPT is planning a public launch of The Bridge at 7 a.m. Jan. 6, 2014. Between Dec. 17 and Jan. 6, 2014 The Bridge will broadcast a limited format as radio engineers fine-tune the signal atop a new broadcast tower, which is closer to Kansas City, according to a news release. The Bridge will also launch a new website on Jan. 6 at www.Bridge909.org.
UCM and KCPT jointly announced the intention to transfer ownership of KTBG-FM in April after a letter of intent was signed by the UCM Board of Governors.
According to UCM President Charles Ambrose, the agreement with KCPT establishes a structure in which both parties can explore opportunities that will benefit UCM students and KCPT’s audiences.
KCPT and UCM will offer a range of internships for UCM students. Additionally, selected UCM programming produced by KMOS-TV, the university’s public television station, will be aired on KCPT television platforms.
“We are grateful for KCPT partners like CEO and President Kliff Kuehl who understand the value of experiential learning, and are willing to open new doors for UCM students,” Ambrose said in a written statement. “This is a unique opportunity to expose our students to a major metropolitan media market while they have learning experiences working for an outstanding public broadcaster.”
Kuehl said The Bridge will enhance the company’s connection with the community.
“We tell over 700 local stories each year on KCPT’s three broadcast channels, and we recently launched a digital newsroom with The Hale Center for Journalism at KCPT to tell even more stories,” he said. “The addition of The Bridge allows us to connect the Kansas City music community with other organizations and individuals involved in making this a better place to live and work.”
The sale of KTBG-FM has no direct impact on KMOS-TV.