History

Quick Facts

• Founded in 1972
• 70,000 listeners in Memphis
• Funded by contributing listeners and business support
• Staffed by 7 full-time, 3 part-time professionals
• 100,000 watt signal reaching more than 1.2 million people in the Mid-South area
• Member of NPR, Public Radio International, and American Public Media

WKNO 91.1 (Memphis), our flagship station, signed on-air April 1, 1972 as the first public radio station in the Memphis area. Originally broadcasting at 40,000 watts, 91.1 FM currently broadcasts a mix of news, entertainment, and classical music at 100,000 watts.

WKNP 90.1 (Jackson) first went on-air in 1990 to serve the Madison County area of West-Middle Tennessee.  A repeater station broadcasting at 17,000 watts, WKNP simulcasts WKNO 91.1 programming.

WKNO-HD signed on in November 2007. 

• WKNO-HD2 (at 91.1-2 on your digital HD radio) features programs like Talk of the Nation, Here and Now, Studio 360, and This American Life. 
• WKNO-HD3 (at 91.1-3 on your digital HD radio) serves the dedicated public radio news listener with around-the-clock BBC news coverage.