KFSP

KFSP (1230 AM) is a radio station licensed to Mankato, Minnesota and serving the greater Mankato area and the Minnesota River Valley with a sports format. The station is an affiliate of the regional KFAN Sports Radio Network and Fox Sports Radio. Founded in 1938 as KYSM, KFSP is the oldest radio station in Mankato.

KFSP

Mankato, Minnesota
Frequency	1230 kHz
Branding	The Fan
Programming
Format	Sports
Affiliations	KFXN-FM Fox Sports Radio Minnesota Vikings
Ownership
Owner	Linder Radio Group (Subarctic Media, LLC)
Sister stations	KATO-FM, KXLP, KDOG, KXAC, KTOE
History
First air date	1938; 87 years ago (1938) (as KYSM)
Former call signs	KYSM (1938–2014)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	20386
Class	C
Power	1,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates	44°10′6″N 93°54′39″W
Translators	103.1 K276EH (Mankato) 106.3 K292HI (Mankato)
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	thefanmankato.com

• See also KFAN Sports Radio Network

The station is owned by Linder Radio Group. It was formerly owned by Clear Channel Communications, which sold its Mankato stations — KYSM, KYSM-FM, and KXLP — to Three Eagles Communications following Clear Channel's 2006 privatization. In September 2007, Three Eagles agreed to sell KYSM and KXLP to Linder Radio Group, a.k.a. Minnesota Valley Broadcasting Co.^[2] Linder currently owns KDOG, KTOE, KXAC, KATO-FM and KXLP in the Mankato market.

History

Plans for the station began as early as 1935, with a deposition hearing ordered by the Federal Communications Commission.^[3] The station first signed on the air in 1938 under the call sign KYSM.^[4] It was constructed by the F.B. Clements Company, featured two studios, and utilized a 281-foot radiator tower.^[5] KYSM initially broadcast from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. with 250 watts of daytime power and 100 watts at night. KYSM began as an NBC AM-radio affiliate but later switched to the Mutual Broadcasting System in 1983.

KYSM was a Top 40 station in the 1960s,^[6] full service MOR station during the 1970s and 1980s. The station aired a satellite-fed oldies format until 1995, when it flipped to a satellite-fed adult standards format.

Programming

The station broadcasts games for local and regional teams, including Minnesota Vikings Football, Minnesota State University-Mankato Football and Basketball, and Mankato MoonDogs Baseball. They also cover Mankato Loyola Crusader Sports.^[7]

To improve the signal strength and coverage area in Mankato, the station's FM translator, K276EH (103.1 MHz), completed a significant move to an antenna higher on its existing tower in May 2024.^[8] This technical upgrade helps the AM signal reach listeners more clearly through the FM dial.