Southeast Missouri State University expects to acquire KBIY-FM in Van Buren, Mo., to expand the service of its public radio station, KRCU.
The Cape Girardeau university announced its intention to buy the station in September as a way to expand NPR programming into a region that includes Poplar Bluff, Mo., and has no NPR station, according to a September press release.
“The expansion will give Southeast a voice in the area to promote the University and to keep it top of mind for students, parents, alumni and businesses,” said Trudy Lee, interim VP for university advancement and executive director of the Southeast Missouri University Foundation, in the release.
The purchase is awaiting FCC approval, according to KRCU GM Dan Woods. The new station is expected to be on the air in late 2020 and simulcast KRCU’s news and music programming, Woods said.
New Life Evangelistic Center sold KBIY to the university for $45,000, according to a December asset purchase agreement.
The university plans to lease the tower space and move the station to Ellsinore, Mo., to further expand its broadcast reach. The station will initially reach nearly 50,000 people but could reach nearly 80,000 after the move, according to the release.
Funding for the station and the first two years of operations were provided by an anonymous donor, according to the release.