Iowa Public Radio

Iowa Public Radio is a public radio network in the U.S. state of Iowa that combines the operations of most National Public Radio member stations in the state. Its three program streams air programming from NPR, Public Radio Exchange and American Public Media, along with local content (notably music) on weekends and evenings.

The network is headquartered in Des Moines, with studios on the Iowa State University campus in Ames, the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City and the University of Northern Iowa campus in Cedar Falls.

History


For many years, Iowa's three state universities each operated their own set of radio stations, each with slightly different program offerings and coverage areas. Two of them, Iowa State's WOI and the University of Iowa's WSUI, are among the oldest radio stations in the world. The three universities competed somewhat as each station sought to expand its coverage area. In late 2004, the Iowa Board of Regents, which governs the three universities, voted to merge the universities' radio stations in order to consolidate operations. The first network to launch was a "News and Information" service in January 2007, followed by a Classical service in September 2007. Nighttime adult alternative music programming that had already aired on several stations, such as "Night Music" and KUNI's "Live from Studio One", was expanded into a third full service called "Studio One". This matches the network structures maintained by Minnesota Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Radio, which also separate their stations into different networks.

Iowa Public Radio includes WOI AM-FM at ISU, WSUI and KSUI at the University of Iowa, and KUNI and KHKE at UNI. The operations have combined revenues of about $7 million annually and about 60 employees.

Since IPR came into existence decades after FM became popular, the dial was already full in most areas, limiting the potential for new stations and leading to inconsistent coverage. Some cities can receive several IPR stations, while areas of western and southern Iowa can only receive grade B coverage from one of the network's two 5,000-watt AM stations during the daytime. This has resulted in ten of IPR's fifteen fully licensed stations carrying a mix of services.

Since its debut, IPR has made it a priority to expand its services in western and southern Iowa. Pending applications for new stations would add service in western Iowa, although other organizations are also competing for those frequencies. In addition, eight construction permits have been issued for new stations, many of which will add coverage in southern Iowa. On March 21, 2008, KUNZ in Ottumwa became the IPR network's first new station to begin broadcasting. IPR has since signed on a second Ottumwa station.

In 2008, IPR shut down the individual station web sites, all of which redirect to iowapublicradio.org.

In 2000, the Iowa Board of Regents ended financing of IPR and in 2022 approved the transfer of the stations' licenses from the universities to IPR for a symbolic $1.00. The license transfer converted IPR from an educational licensee to a community licensee.

Board of directors
Iowa Public Radio is governed by a board of eighteen community directors. Meetings and their committees are open to the public and are held quarterly.

Member Stations
Iowa Public Radio programs three different services. All three AM stations in the network carry the News Network. Affiliated FM stations carry one of two services. The News & Studio One Network programs news/talk programming from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Studio One adult alternative music from 7 p.m. - 5 a.m. The Classical Network airs classical music 24 hours a day.

New Station Applications
During a filing window for new stations in the non-commercial portion of the band (88-92 MHz) in October 2007, the Universities that make up Iowa Public Radio applied for new stations in Atlantic, Keokuk, Mason City, Rockwell City, Shenandoah, Sioux City, and Storm Lake. However, all of these applications are in competition with other groups.