The Peoples Station
About
History
With initial support from the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, The Center for Communication and Development (CCD)/ KMOJ Radio (KMOJ) was born to provide broadcast communications training for People of Color living in the Twin Cities, and serve as an information and communications vehicle for the African-American community as a whole. KMOJ utilized community members as on-air announcers to provide, public service announcements, information on community resources through other community agencies and churches, various social awareness programs, positive entertainment, and provided a forum for discussing issues that affected the lives of African-American people as a means to improving the quality of life for African-American people. The founding vision was “to improve the quality of life and provide positive experiences for residents in the north Minneapolis Sumner-Olson and Glenwood-Lyndale housing projects through entertainment, public service announcements and a forum for discussing issues that affected their lives.”
To meet its communications goals, the Center for Communication and Development was awarded a broadcasting license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in March 1976. Shortly there after on June 22, 1976, KMOJ-FM was created and began operating “on-the-air. The station call letters, KMOJ were inspired by the Swahili word for Unity, Umoja. At its birth, the community-based radio station’s 10 milli-watt transmitter was only able to broadcast in the immediate area of the public housing of north Minneapolis, but it wasn’t long before people in south Minneapolis and St. Paul were trying to pick up its signal and KMOJ was recognized as the Heart and Soul of the Cities.
KMOJ has made great strides since its first broadcast. KMOJ has been a training ground for the broadcast industry, involving on-air announcing, public affairs programming, music programming, administration, marketing, production, and management. In addition, the on-air venue has expanded to include comprehensive public affairs programming, and a staple of positive urban contemporary music targeted to the listening audience in the following genres: rhythm & blues (r & b), hip-hop, gospel, reggae, jazz, and blues.
As KMOJ has grown, the focus shifted from targeting the African American community to the Black Community. Just as the transmission wattage for the station has grown throughout history from 10 megawatts at is founding to 100 megawatts, to its current capacity of 1000 megawatts, the listening base representative of all people and diversity has increased to a current level of over 84,000 listeners per day. As a part of KMOJ’s transition and growth, it is now recognized as “The People’s Station”, to signify the broad audience and purpose of empowering the greater community through education and information.
KMOJ currently reaches Minneapolis and its surrounding suburbs with its 1000-megawatt transmission, but hopes to increase capabilities to transmit to the entire Twin Cities metropolitan area within the next five years. KMOJ targets the Black Community with the goal of bringing awareness and education to the Black community, resulting in an informed greater community.
Mission & Goals
Organization Mission & Goals:
The current organizational vision of KMOJ is to develop the African American community through informing and educating people via vehicles of mass communication, including computer Internet, television, radio, and print journalism. It is the mission of KMOJ to:
“Teach members of the Black community media skills that help reinstate the affirmative Black image.”
The Center for Communication and Development philosophy is that through a process of education, collaboration, and grounding in culture and community, it can elevate the way of life of the people of its community. KMOJ understands the significance of its role as a media resource for the community and recognizes this role must be nurtured and expanded to support an informed community with access to knowledge and information.
KMOJ’s Over Arching Goals:
• To educate and engage people in the Black community to reinstate the affirmative Black image;
• To support and empower the Black community in life long learning of it’s traditional and modern cultures, spirituality, and history; and
• To challenge systems, policies, and practices which are anti ethical to the affirmative Black image.
Current Programs
and Activities
Current Programs and Activities
KMOJ maintains two key areas: Training in Broadcast Management and Administration & On-Air Programming through engagement, entertainment, and education. KMOJ programs and activities serve as a “motivator” by drawing together community members who strive to provide a broadcast medium for a community that has been misrepresented in, misinformed by, and not provided access to, by mainstream media entities. KMOJ works towards popularizing and preserving indigenous forms of cultural expression not typically broadcasted by commercial stations. KMOJ values the role we play in training and programming; helping to develop the vision of Twin Cities urban communities by engaging local residents, professional, elected officials, and community activist, etc, in cross-cultural discussions that will engage in a truthful and candid, yet positive approach to discussing and examining the Black community from a journalistic perspective.
1. Training in Broadcasting
Central to the mission of KMOJ is to increase the representation of Blacks in Radio Broadcasting. To fulfill this, KMOJ is a training site for the broadcast industry in the areas of: on-air announcing, public affairs programming, music programming, administration, marketing, production, and management through the KMOJ Internship Program.
Interns are recruited from the community to include individuals who are participating in an accredited broadcasting program such as Brown College, Dunwoody Institute, Northwestern College, etc; and individuals who have experience in broadcasting or natural skills and talents for radio. Each intern’s skill level is assessed to determine their individualized training needs.
The names below represent a partial list of KMOJ interns have who have established themselves in successful broadcasting careers in the Twin Cities and other major markets:
Some of our recent success stories include:
• Otis “Entertaining” Artis Radio Personality B96/ Minneapolis
• Dorian Flowers Radio Announcer B96/ Minneapolis
• Mike Mack Radio Personality/Mix B96/Minneapolis
• Anthony “Big Ant” Simmons Program Director WEUP-FM/Alabama
• Joe” Broadway” Ratliff KMOJ, KDWB, KIPR, WEJM, KKDA, KRBV, KTTB, WWDM, WXBT, KHTE and KZTS
• Freddie Bell Radio Announcer/Producer WTMP-FM/Florida
• Travis Lee Senior Editor Trendsetter Magazine
• Julian “Brother Jules” Anderson Producer/Mixer/Personal DJ for Prince
• Derrick “Delight” Stevens Voice Over Artist and Producer/Voice for Paula Abdul’s “Scat Cat”
• Michael “Mike Mike” Lindsey BET Comic View/Production Assistant for WB’s “The Andersons”
2. “On-Air” Programming
KMOJ’s format was specifically designed to deliver social, political and cultural dialogues not typically voiced on mainstream media entities. KMOJ integrates public affairs programs and information segments with various musical genres. On-air programming reaches 84,000 individuals per week and over 756,000 per quarter. The range of on-air programming includes:
Community and Public Affairs:
CCD/KMOJ Radio regularly provides public affairs programming of special value and interest to the Black community. Because of our community focus, KMOJ is often the first point of contact where community residents hear information regarding employment opportunities, public meetings, and community services.
KMOJ’s public affairs programming examples include:
• Conversations with Al McFarlane – Community Forum is broadcast live, weekly, featuring host Al McFarlane, founder of Insight News. Mr. McFarlane facilitates community discussions with community activist, elected and appointed officials, non-profit programs staff, etc. to inform and dialogue with the community around various issues.
• Urban Agenda – In partnership with African American Family Services, the goal of this program is to create and maintain a healthy Black community through chemical abuse, and family violence education, by discussing issues that arise out of chemical abuse and domestic violence.
• It’s Your Health- This program informs and educates African Americans on major and minor health issues that affect their community.
• Day O.N.E. – explores the cultural, spiritual, and physical aspect of Black people as it relates to well being.
• Financial Fitness – is dedicated to giving people information they need to become and stay debt-free, understand the value of, and repair their credit, and develop healthy informed spending habits by purchasing assets instead of financial liabilities.
• Voices of the African American Community – Voices” is a weekly commentary on pertinent issues facing the Black community.
• Street Soldiers- In partnership with The African-American Men Project, this program is targeting Black males ages 16-25. The show encourages them to build positive lives and contribute to society by promoting a violence-free, drug free and crime free lifestyle.
• African Roots Connection – is a roundtable discussion that focuses on the issues that affect the African community. This program is hosted by representatives from the Somalia, Liberian, Ethiopian, Nigerian, and Cameroonian to name a few.
Positive Entertainment:
KMOJ works toward providing entertainment music that does not send negative or offensive messages. Programming is designed with a specific purpose of highlighting the positive aspects of music listening.
• The Breakfast Jam is a lively upbeat start to the morning, delivering community information, local and entertainment news, national and local sports, and topical interviews that serve the Black community.
• Mid-days is a blend of R&B and soul music specifically targeting women.
• Afternoon Drive plays a unique blend of up tempo soul music, news, weather, and information.
• Evenings are designed to target the young adult listener. Specializing in R & B, hip hop, and Top 40 urban music.
• The Quiet Storm a mixture of smooth soul music and ballads.
Specialty Programming
Each weekly program is designed to focus on a specific genre of music. Programming includes R&B, Jazz, Blues, Gospel, Hip-Hop, and Ethnic music of African origin or influences. Examples include:
• KMOJ Gospel- Specializing in the best in contemporary and traditional gospel music.
• Tropical Vibrations- This program specializes in Reggae and Caribbean music.
• Throw back/ Throw Down- This program is a mix of old school funk and rap music from the late 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s.
• Back In the Day- This program specializes in classic R&B, disco, and soul music from the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s.
