I stopped listening to KMOJ until about two years ago. They changed their format a little (for the better) but are now in trouble, because they can't get physically situated. Here's the story from The Star Tribune:


Music director L.A. (Sunny Day) Phillips produced a Monday night sports-talk show from KMOJ’s temporary studio, a narrow, dank room near the station’s transmitter atop a north Minneapolis public housing high-rise.

KMOJ Is Barely There, but on the Air
Homeless KMOJ still puts out a strong signal.
By Terry Collins, Star Tribune
Last update: February 01, 2007 – 10:36 AM

Emitting the spirit of pirate radio, the broadcasts come from a narrow, dank, dimly lit room mere steps from where the transmitter stands atop a 13-story public housing high-rise.

The station that billed itself as "the heart and soul of the Twin Cities" is homeless, reduced to playing taped music since its previous headquarters was literally falling down around it.

The venerable nonprofit R&B station KMOJ (89.9 FM) has weathered numerous troubles during its 30 years, from signal problems to management crises. Today, the latest ratings report that more listeners are tuning in.

But KMOJ has spent the past month searching for a new spot to hang its microphones and commemorative gold record plaques. Three days before Christmas, the station had to vacate its North Side location after its landlord, the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA), determined the building was uninhabitable.

The housing authority said it had no choice and said the station knew a move has been imminent for nearly two years. It went so far as to give KMOJ $20,000 in relocation money in October.

A Feb. 8 demolition date has been set for the station's former home at 555 Girard Terrace.

"The building is sinking," said Tom Streitz, MPHA's deputy executive director. "The floor is collapsing, the walls are cracking and there's a fear that the utilities are going to snap.

"It's coming down to a real health and safety issue."

KMOJ General Manager Kelvin Quarles said he knew the station would have to leave eventually, but not on such short notice. He is contemplating legal action.

"We kept getting mixed messages on when we had to leave," Quarles said. "A 60-day, even a 30-day notice would've given us enough time to make a smooth transition. I never wanted this to become an ugly situation."

Bob Boyd, the housing authority's policy and special initiatives director, said KMOJ has options. It can rent from either of two sites: by converting two apartments into studios in the high-rise on 5th Av. N., where it currently occupies the one cramped room, or using space on 1101 W. Broadway, in the heart of the North Side.

Quarles said those sites are "unacceptable" because he prefers owning instead of renting. Last fall, KMOJ intended to use the relocation money to buy space at 4149 Lyndale Av. N., but the deal fell through after the owner backed out, possibly because of neighborhood pressure, he said.

Instead, the money has been used to pay for moving costs and storing station equipment while KMOJ scours for a new site, Quarles said.

Boyd said the housing authority's relocation options are still available and it is "willing to meet and work with them."

Despite the drama, KMOJ, the area's first black radio station, has kept the hits playing on air, thanks to an automated music system. But listeners began noticing shows hosted by longtime personalities such as "Q-Bear" and "Lady L" were -- and remain -- off the air.

It wasn't until activist Spike Moss' long-running weekly community show ran a week ago from the Urban League that the station's respected public affairs programming returned to the airwaves.

Trying to keep it together

"We're trying to keep it all together," said Quarles, who's been in the radio industry for 20 years, the last two at KMOJ. "It's been tough."

Despite the hard feelings, KMOJ and the MPHA have had a relationship since the low-power station began in 1976 (it's currently at 1,000 watts) at the Glenwood-Lyndale housing project. While the signal still can barely be heard south of Burnsville, it continues to serve as a music and information source oriented toward the black community.

Many attribute its current success to Quarles, who has maintained the station's decidedly risky move to play less hip-hop and more adult contemporary R&B some four years ago.

Around that time, KMOJ moved into Girard Terrace, with new equipment and a new slogan, "The People's Station."

With its future unknown, there is a preference to remain on the North Side, said Walter Banks Jr., known to many as "Q Bear," who has held a litany of titles from janitor to program director in his 27 years at KMOJ.

Along with "Big Sam" Williams, Banks co-hosted an hourlong sports talk show Monday night in a former cafe at the Urban League. The pair modulated their voices to avoid echoes. Instead of using a computer to find stats, they relied on newspapers and their memories.

They debated over how dominant tennis star Serena Williams and golfer Tiger Woods are in their respective sports, and bantered about how Sunday's historic Super Bowl will be a supreme battle of wits between two head coaches, both of whom are black.

After signing off, Banks and Williams each nodded slowly and smiled, satisfied with their performance, considering the circumstances.

Ever the optimist, Banks said not going off the air during an "uncomfortable" stretch is a test of the station's resiliency.

"It's different," Banks said. "But we're still on."

Terry Collins • 612-673-1790 • tcollins@startribune.com

Wow, that's crazy. I used to listen to KMOJ all the time about 10 years ago or so.

minneapolisgenius said:

They weren't so hot for a while. Naturally, once I start listening to them again they're having troubles. I hope it gets straightened out soon, because I like a few of their DJ's.

RipHer2Shreds said:

Yeah, I stopped listening years ago because they really weren't playing anything I liked anymore.

Me and my co-worker took turns reading that article the other day. That studio looks like it's in the basement of a crackhouse, With the pipes running through the middle of it. And that equipment is so old, It probably plays Eight tracks. What's funny is that all the DJ's got money. But the station looks like that. I still tune in on my drive home from work when I wanna hear some of that old school funk.

ThePunisher said:

I don't know how much money the DJ's are making since it's a non-profit radio station, but, yes, that "studio" is derelict!