1981 History – KKFI Story

Lots more work to do – writing the equipment grant – matching it with money while being broke, losing our tower site at the last minute – zoning problems – a last minute save with a new location.

In January, Missouri Articles of Incorporation were approved.

Also, the public began to become aware of what Mid-Coast was trying to do when the local media started covering its efforts. The Kansas City Star did an article showing controversy on what might happen to KGSP and KTSR (The already existing 10-watt stations) if Mid-Coast put its community radio station on the air.

Next on the list of tasks to put the 100,000-watt radio station on the air was the preparation of an equipment grant. From funds from the planning grant, Barbara Blake was hired as a planning coordinator who would help coordinate writing an equipment grant and the very complicated actual FCC broadcast license application to get a construction permit.

When Mid-Coast Qualified for the PTFP/NTIA planning grant this meant that now the group was eligible to apply for an equipment grant . This grant would provide the funds to buy the broadcasting transmitter and studio equipment required to operate a radio station.

This new grant applied for was for $ 200,000. The catch was, Mid-Coast would have to match it with $100,000, a seemingly impossible task for a grass-roots group.

Some of the documents required for the application to make a case-statement to get the equipment grant are below.

On a positive side of things, Mid-Coast was able to secure its tower site and potentially sign a lease at a location on Blue Ridge Boulevard. It could only be put into a tiny triangle-shaped area where engineering studies showed that a tower could be legally placed. It was in an auto-salvage yard and the owners were happy to find another source of income from tower-space rental

A map of the tower side was drawn and hopes were high that this site would be suitable.