WELY

WELY/1450 AM and WELY-FM/94.5 are a pair of simulcast radio stations based in the small tourist destination town of Ely, Minnesota, United States. WELY serves the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and Surrounding towns and areas of northeastern Minnesota.

WELY studios
WELY
CityEly, Minnesota, U.S.
Broadcast areaBoundary Waters Canoe Area
Arrowhead Region
Frequency1450 kHz
Branding"End of the Road Radio"
Programming
FormatVariety
AffiliationsMinnesota Twins Radio Network [1]
Ownership
OwnerBois Forte Band of Chippewa
(Bois Forte Tribal Council)
Sister stationsWELY-FM
History
First air dateOctober 2, 1954[2]
Call sign meaningELY, Minnesota
Technical information
Facility ID5386
ClassC
Power770 Watts
Transmitter coordinates47°53′40″N 91°51′50″W
Links
WebcastListen live
Websitewww.wely.com
WELY-FM
CityEly, Minnesota, U.S.
Broadcast areaBoundary Waters Canoe Area
Arrowhead Region
Frequency94.5 MHz
Branding"End of the Road Radio"
Programming
FormatVariety
AffiliationsMinnesota Twins Radio Network
Ownership
OwnerBois Forte Band of Chippewa
(Bois Forte Tribal Council)
Sister stationsWELY
History
First air dateJuly 25, 1992[3]
Former call signsKQEK (January 17-June 5, 1992)[4]
Former frequencies92.1 MHz[5]
Call sign meaningFM sister station to WELY
Technical information
Facility ID5385
ClassA
ERP6,000 watts
HAAT100 meters (330 ft)
Transmitter coordinates47°53′40″N 91°51′50″W
Links
WebcastListen live
Websitewww.wely.com

WELY (AM) was founded in 1954. The "front porch" studio is downtown, on E. Chapman Street. Both stations share a transmitter site south of town.

History

WELY (AM)

WELY signed on the air on October 2, 1954. WELY's first owner was Charles B. Pearson, who sold the station to WELY Corporation in 1959. WELY changed hands again in 1963 when WELY Corporation sold the station to North Central Video, which sold the station to Northern Lakes Corporation in 1967. WELY's next owner would come in 1976, when the Northern Lakes Corporation sold it to BJL Broadcasting Corporation.[6] In 1987, WELY suspended operations for a time due to financial difficulty, which was featured as a news story on KSTP-TV.[7]

WELY-FM

WELY-FM signed on the air on July 25, 1992. The original callsign was KQEK, as issued on January 17, 1992, but was changed to WELY-FM on June 5, 1992.

As a pair

WELY was owned by retired CBS broadcaster Charles Kuralt from 1995 until his death on July 4, 1997.[8] In 1999, WELY-AM-FM transferred from the estate of Suzanna Baird Kuralt to her estate's executors, Susan Bowers & Lisa Bowers White, who sold the stations to Alice L. Hill & Janice Nagel Erickson, a Twin Cities transplant.[9][10] In 2005, it was purchased by the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa.[11]

See also

References
  1. Minnesota Twins Radio Network, retrieved January 9, 2019.
  2. WELY sign-on history from the Broadcasting Yearbook, 1994 edition, p. B-195. Retrieved from americanradiohistory.com on January 9, 2019.
  3. WELY-FM history from the Broadcasting Yearbook, 1994 edition, p. B-195. Retrieved from americanradiohistory.com on January 9, 2019.
  4. Callsign history for WELY-FM; retrieved January 9, 2019.
  5. Original construction permit for KQEK (later WELY-FM), granted by the FCC on November 6, 1991; retrieved January 9, 2019.
  6. WELY's FCC history card, p. 2; retrieved January 9, 2019.
  7. Recording of KSTP-TV's story on WELY's closure in 1987; retrieved January 9, 2019.
  8. Transfer of control filing BTC-19970908GJ; retrieved January 9, 2019.
  9. Transfer of control filing BTC-19991124AAC; retrieved January 9, 2019.
  10. Transfer of control filing BTC-19970708GG, retrieved January 9, 2019.
  11. Bob Kelleher (February 20, 2005). "A new life for radio at the end of the road". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved 2008-02-21.


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