Midwest Communications has added a full-power FM signal for its News/Talk format in Fargo after eight days of Classic Rock.
KMJO/104.7 (Hope-Fargo) began rebroadcasting the longtime News/Talk format of the “Mighty 790” KFGO on Tuesday, Jan. 26. KFGO’s lineup includes local talk shows and local newscasts throughout the day and a few hours of syndicated programming overnight.
An article on KFGO’s website explains that while KFGO is also relayed on K231CV/94.1 in Fargo, the addition of the 100kW FM signal that rimshots the city from the west will add FM coverage of rural parts of the market. (KFGO’s 5kW AM signal blankets the Red River Valley and is heard across eastern North Dakota, northwestern Minnesota, and northeastern South Dakota.)
K231CV must continue to relay KFGO until at least October as a condition of the FCC’s grant of the translator during the AM revitalization window.
KMJO had dropped the Classic Country “Duke FM” playlist on Jan. 18 for “The Bear, Classic Rock that really growls.” The new playlist initially appeared to be an attempt to take on Radio F-M Media’s “107.9 The Fox” (KPFX Kindred-Fargo), which is the top-rated music format in the market. However, a website and social media pages for “The Bear” never launched.
104.7 is a rimshot signal that has carried seven formats since its signed on in 2002, not counting the eight days of Classic Rock. “Duke FM” had been its longest-running format to date.
Under previous ownership, the KFGO group launched a brief-lived “Talk FM” format on what is now KRWK/101.9 (Fargo) in 2012.