North Shore Station Relaunches Adventurous Adult Alternative Format

The only commercial radio station on Minnesota’s North Shore has returned to a broad Adult Alternative format after resuming full-power broadcasts.

Shire & Shore Communications’ WFNX/95.3 (Grand Marais) is now known as “The Otter,” with a format described as a progressive mix of Alternative, Folk, Rock, and Soul. The format officially launched on May 24 after several weeks of stunting with daily formats of everything from Big Band to Metal.

The station is overseen by Operations Manager Brian Rickman. Shire & Shore owner Matt Butler says the new format will include local news and personalities in the near future as well as a “Late Lounge” mix of Chill and Ambient music from 10 p.m. to midnight.

“The first time I visited the North Shore, I was inspired by the natural beauty, diverse culture and community spirit that prevails in the region, and dreamed of building a music oriented station that would capture the spirit of the region and reflect the past, present and future of the regional and national music scene,” Butler said.

The launch of “The Otter” comes after several years of changes for 95.3, which has seen two formats, two potential buyers who got cold feet, and several periods of silence since 2018.

“It’s no secret there’s been a rocky road to achieving that dream, compounded by a pandemic and difficult economic circumstances. But I’ve continued to be inspired by the community and the relationship people continue to have with local radio, especially in the Triple A format which is an amazing group of artists, creatives and music lovers,” Butler said.

After working with Optimized Media Group on transmitter repairs, WFNX returned to full power of 63kW/209m (class C1) from its site in Lutsen earlier this year. Car radio coverage stretches along most of the Minnesota shore of Lake Superior and also extends to some areas across the lake.

“Thanks to the support and encouragement of many local residents, friends, and fellow broadcasters, we developed a plan that allows us to rebuild 95.3 FM with a new transmitter, and a new sound and renewed commitment to our listeners from Grand Portage to Two Harbors, and many other communities in Michigan, Wisconsin, and along the Superior shores,” Butler said.

The North Shore has no other commercial radio stations but is served by several non-commercial outlets, including MPR’s News and Classical networks and locally-programmed WTIP/90.7 (Grand Marais), which carries local news and a wide variety of music programming. Cook and Lake counties have a year-round population of about 16,000 people but attract far more visitors, with 37,500 alone visiting Cook County to attend events annually, according to Visit Cook County.

WFNX is a heritage callsign that was used by a pioneering Alternative station in the Boston market from 1983 to 2012.