KNNZ

KNNZ
Hawley, Minnesota;
Broadcast area	Fargo-Moorhead
Frequency	89.1 MHz
Branding	89.1 Ken's FM
Programming
Format	Modern rock, local music
Ownership
Owner	Pioneer Public Broadcasting Company
History
First air date	2000 (as Modern Rock 94.5); 2012 (as KNNZ)
Call sign meaning	Ken's
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Class	C1
ERP	39,000 watts (horizontal); 100,000 watts (vertical)
Links
Public license information	Public file; LMS;
Webcast	Listen live
Website	www.kensfm.com

KNNZ ("89.1 Ken's FM") is a radio station owned by Pioneer Public Broadcasting, licensed to Hawley, Minnesota and serving the Fargo–Moorhead area. The station's offices are located in Fargo, North Dakota, while its transmitter is located at Barnesville, Minnesota.

History

The station went on-air at 94.5 FM in 2000 as a pirate radio station. The pirate radio station played a modern rock format known as "New Rock 94.5."^[1]

In 2009, the Federal Communications Commission sent a letter to the pirate radio station forcing it to cease operations.^[2]

In 2010, the owner of the pirate radio station received a Construction Permit from the FCC for a new FM radio station at 89.1 MHz (licensed to Hawley, Minnesota) with the callsign KNNZ.^[3]^[4]

On December 31, 2012, KNNZ officially signed on the air branded as "89.1 Ken's FM" (named after the station President, Ken Bartz) with the same modern rock format that the pirate radio station had carried.^[5]

In 2015, KNNZ upgraded to 100,000 watts of power.^[6]

The station's founder and president, Ken Bartz, passed away on July 19, 2025, leading to the station's temporary cessation of broadcast operations.^[7]^[8] Since the death of Bartz, the station has been largely silent. Because the station was operated out of a studio in Bartz's basement, the logistics of maintaining a full-power broadcast became difficult without its primary engineer and benefactor.^[9]

References

^ Bartz, Ken. "p1r4t3z - YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
^ Bartz, Ken (December 11, 2009). Hunting Pirate Radio Part 4.wmv (Video). p1r4t3z. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
^ "Facility Details for Facility ID 175796 (KNNZ)". FCC Licensing and Management System. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
^ Bartz, Ken (November 16, 2010). Hunting Pirate Radio Part 6.wmv (Video). p1r4t3z. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
^ Bartz, Ken (January 1, 2013). KNNZ-FM 89.1 Ken's FM Sign On 12-31-2012 (Video). p1r4t3z. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
^ Bartz, Ken (March 9, 2015). KNNZ now 100,000 watts (Video). p1r4t3z. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
^ Olson, David (August 5, 2025). "Ken Bartz, founder of Ken's FM, dies at 73". MPR News. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
^ "Kenneth C. Bartz Obituary July 19, 2025". Korsmo Funeral Service. July 19, 2025. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
^ "Ken's FM seeks new life after founder's passing in Moorhead". KVRR News. December 18, 2025. Retrieved January 11, 2026.