A small new FM signal has signed on in the western Twin Cities suburbs relaying Christian radio station WCTS/1030 (Maplewood).
FM translator K250BY/97.9 (Plymouth) transmits from the Fourth Baptist Church along Highway 55 in Plymouth, which is where WCTS’ studio is located. Though it broadcasts with 250 Watts, the station’s low antenna height limits its coverage to portions of Plymouth and neighboring suburbs.
K250BY was granted as part of the FCC’s AM revitalization effort.
WCTS itself transmits from Woodbury, on the other side of the metro area, with 50kW day and 4kW night. The station is owned by the Central Baptist Theological Seminary.
Here’s the station’s hourly ID, recorded from its web feed, on Sunday afternoon mentioning the new translator and the AM station’s switch to nighttime power:
Programming on “The Bible Station” includes traditional Christian music and Bible teaching. The format began on the 100kW 100.3 FM signal in 1965 and moved to AM 1030 in 1993 when the FM signal was sold and converted to commercial operation.
K250BY is the third station on 97.9 in the metro area, with separate low-power Christian stations using the frequency in St. Paul and Lakeville. A summary of the Twin Cities translator and LPFM station is posted on the Twin Cities Class D/LPFM Stations page.