KMOJ Unveils Their Forever Home
KMOJ staff, volunteers, and board of directors celebrated the unveiling of their new forever home with listeners, government officials, and business associates last Wednesday. KMOJ “The People’s Station” has been a staple in the northside since its founding in 1976, and they are excited to announce their move to the corner of Lowry Ave N and Oliver Ave N.
The celebration was lively, with music blasting through the speakers and the crowd happily mingling. The community KMOJ has cultivated over the past 50 years was evident in the spirit of the event. The event program featured notable speakers like Don Shelby, part of the KMOJ community since 1978; Mayor Jacob Frey; Hennepin County Commissioner Irene Fernando; Senator Bobby Joe Champion; KMOJ CEO/General Manager Freddie Bell; KMOJ DJ and Assistant Program Manager Walter “Q Bear” Banks; and more.
Each speaker touched on the most important thing to KMOJ: community. As Don Shelby said, “We are one community.” Commissioner Irene Fernando added that music, community, and conversation anchor us, expand thinking, and comfort us. KMOJ has been fostering this community since their start. The station call letters were inspired by the Swahili word “umoja,” which means “unity.” The station’s overarching goals are threefold:
- “To educate and engage Communities of Color to reinstate the affirmative Black image”
- “To support and empower Communities of Color in lifelong learning of its traditional and modern cultures, spirituality, and history”
- “To challenge systems, policies, and practices which are antithetical to the image of Communities of Color”
Through hard work and community support, what started with 10-watt transmission power in a northside home has transformed into a station powered on 6,200-watt transmission, reaching an estimated 140,000 listeners per week. Senator Champion praised the station for playing a diverse array of music genres, including R&B, hip-hop, reggae, gospel, jazz, and blues.
KMOJ is excited to announce that, despite the concerns brought on by the future construction of a new light rail system, which will result in the demolition of their current building, “the sun will never set on KMOJ.” KMOJ is about the spirit of building and growing, and the land they will develop is the start of a new chapter of growth.
Wellington Management is thrilled to be selling the land to KMOJ so they can start building their new forever home. After having moved four times in 49 years, Mayor Frey said “it’s about damn time” that KMOJ celebrate the remarkable achievement of developing their forever home in the heart of the northside community.
As Freddie Bell said, this is a home for the voices that deserve to be heard and is a hub for the community to grow and thrive. KMOJ has provided the music and soundtrack of our lives, has been the voice and heartbeat of our northside community for 50 years, and this is just the start of the next 50 years to come.
Congratulations, KMOJ, on your new forever home!
Visit KMOJ’s website to learn more about the station’s history, community engagement, on-air schedule, and donation portal.
