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KbemKBEM (88.5 FM, "Jazz 88") is a Minneapolis, Minnesota public radio station broadcasting a jazz format. The station is operated by Minneapolis public school system and has also been known since 1970 as a partner with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT), providing traffic congestion reports for commuters in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. However, the traffic contract is likely to expire in 2005. KBEM is part of Minnesota's Independent Public Radio network, formerly known as AMPERS. The station first took to the air in the 1960s. Its broadcast studios are located in North Community High School. The current jazz format was put in place in 1985. Students still use the station during the day to make news reports, and other programming, such as school board meetings, is also carried. In late 2004, it was announced that Mn/DOT would be cutting their funding of the station as a cost-saving measure. This funding amounted to US$418,000 per year at the time of cancellation, although the current contract extends until March 2005. The money accounted for roughly half of the station's budget, so KBEM launched an emergency fundraising drive. By January 2005, the drive had gathered $45,000 from the public toward a goal of $138,000 to cover the station until the end of its fiscal year (mid-2005). The school system hopes to roughly double membership from 4,000 to 8,000. In an unusual move, Clear Channel Communications—regarded by many as an "evil" corporation today—donated $25,000 to the station in January and began to run fundraising announcements on the company's area stations, including Cities 97 (KTCZ) and their own "smooth jazz" outlet, KJZI. On the other hand, the well-known Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) was criticized somewhat for not immediately coming to the station's aid, even though the organization and its leader Bill Kling had assisted other troubled organizations previously (credits include leading a fundraising drive to replace transmitting antennas destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks). Minnesota Public Radio had attempted to purchase the station back in 1979 as part of an attempt to split the growing network into classical music and talk radio components, but the deal eventually fell through. Instead, the organization acquired WLOL 1330 AM in 1980. A decade later, they finally made the split in the Twin Cities region with the purchase of WLOL 99.5 FM (now KSJN). It is unlikely that MPR would make another move to acquire KBEM anytime soon, as the group currently owns three stations in the region that have much more broadcasting power (KBEM is only licensed to broadcast 2,150 watts, while the three MPR stations are 100,000 watt outlets). External links References
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