South Dakota Public Broadcasting has signed on a new FM radio station in Mitchell, filling a long-running coverage gap in the region.
A license to cover application filed on Jan. 9 indicates KWSD/89.1 has begun broadcasting under program test authority. KWSD uses 14.5kW/59m (class C3) from a tower in Mitchell.
The new station was granted as a result of a 2021 FCC filing window for new non-commercial FM stations.
Mitchell previously received SDPB service from 9-Watt translator K215AI/90.9. The translator’s status is not immediately known.
KWSD’s sign-in improves SDPB’s coverage in an area previously served by fringe signals from Brookings, Reliance, and Vermillion.
The statewide network’s schedule includes long-form news programming throughout the day followed by Jazz and “The World Cafe” in the evening. SDPB also operates the state’s PBS TV network.
The new Mitchell radio station is unrelated to a Sioux Falls TV station that previously used the KWSD callsign.