Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, November 01, 2012, Pages 1 & 12

When opportunity knocks, most people answer the door. Others, like Joe HYNEK, kick down the door. . . and start a radio station.

The radio station is KSOI, 91.9 on the FM dial. After going on the air in midsummer, the station has attracted a growing number of listeners in south-central Iowa. KSOI operates under a non-commercial educational license, and according to HYNEK, its mission is to broadcast things that improve southern Iowa business, tourism and economic development and to educate the public.

HYNEK is no stranger to creative endeavors. A 1997 graduate of Mount Ayr Community high school, he and his sisters Amy and Mandy and his father Bill comprise the musical group Pumptown, which has released four studio albums and performs at several venues across the state.

In 2006 Joe and his mother Angie wrote and produced an awarding-winning musical drama, "Farmer Song – The Musical," which was selected in 2007 to be performed in the International Fringe Festival in New York City.

In addition, each Memorial Day weekend, the HYNEK family hosts the annual Farmer Song Fest on their farm near Ellston. Now approaching its seventh year, Farmer Song Fest presents live bands, promotes new music and supports fundraisers for local groups.

So what attracted HYNEK to creating, building and operating aradio station from the ground up?

"I had always been excited about music," HYNEK said, "and I really like this area and always thought about doing things here."

But the real story behind KSOI lies in the behind-the-scenes work it took to get the station on the air.

About five years ago the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened an application window for noncommercial radio station licenses, the final opportunity for the creation of full-power non-commercial FM stations.

HYNEK created a nonprofit corporation to sponsor the application and enlisted his parents and grandmother, Marge PERRY, as board members. (Penny CHEERS and Mary Ellen KIMBLE have since joined the board with their husbands Ken and Jim providing valuable assistance.)

A year later HYNEK was notified bythe FCC that he had beaten out two other competitors for the license, contingent upon his ability to have a station up and running by Summer 2012.

For HYNEK, that's when the real work began. Knowing he would need funding to equip the new station, he applied for a Public Telecommunications and Facilities Program grant, a long time federal program that was originally used to provide radio access across the nation. (Shortly after HYNEK received his grant, the program was eliminated due to budget cuts.)

Because of the rural setting in south-central Iowa, the grant provided 75 percent of the cost to create the station with the other 25 percent to come from local donations. HYNEK said a large portion of the local amount came from the Clarke County Development Corporation.

With funding secured, HYNEK'S next challenge was to locate a suitable broadcast tower.

After considering an existing 300-foot tower, HYNEK decided to build a new 500-foot tower to provide the best coverage for his broadcast signal. Ken CHEERS granted HYNEK'S corporation a 50-year lease on nin eacres of pasture near Arispe for the tower site. Prior to beginning construction, however, HYNEK had to clear his plans with the federal government. A main requirement was completion of a detailed environmental assessment process that studies a construction project's effect on any national historic landmarks, local residents, endangered wildlife, migratory birds and Indian burial sites.

As part of the process HYNEK had to receive clearance from 12 Indian tribes. To satisfy this requirement, HYNEK hired an archaeologist to study the site and produce a 30-page report to certify the absence of burial sites on the property. Once the assessment process was complete, HYNEK purchased a new tower from Sabre Towers in Sioux City and hired a crew from Charles City to erect it, install the antenna and run the main wiring from the antenna to the ground.

A concrete bunker was installed by Zach PRYOR from Afton at the base of the tower to house the transmitter and other electrical equipment. With assistance from his father and John ALLEN from Southwest REC, HYNEK wired the transmitter, air-conditioning unit and other equipment to create a link between the tower and the studio.

The studio is located in Murray in a Victorian house HYNEK and his family are currently renovating.

A 60-foot tower outside the house beams the station signal from the studio to the transmitter site about 13 miles away. The studio itself is outfitted with brand-new equipment as mandated by the government grant.

Because of the number of commuters currently traveling between south-central Iowa and Des Moines, HYNEK said his goal was to reach listeners along Interstate 35.

Operating with 19,000 kilowatts of power, KSOI's signal covers an approximate 80-mile radius from the tower in Arispe, depending on weather conditions and geography. However, HYNEK said he had received contact from a listener as far away as Fort Dodge.

In all, the project totaled nearly $300,000. Of that amount $286,000 for construction was funded by the grant with another $18,000 invested by HYNEK and his parents for planning. But once the station went on the air, operating expenses must be raised from local donations and underwriting. To that end the station has hired Kim ROMERO as its underwriting director responsible for seeking sponsorships.

Now that KSOI is on the air, what can listeners expect to hear?

The station features an eclectic mix of music, announcements from local school districts, police reports, weather reports and short messages from contributors and station sponsors.

HYNEK currently serves as the station's program director, a job he can actually do from a distance via his computer or cell phone. He has joined the National Federation of Community Broadcasters to learn from broadcast professionals how best to operate, program and sustain the station.

Music for the station comes from HYNEK'S personal collection as well as donations from fans, friends and family.

"Our goal is to put out music you can listen to anywhere anytime," he said. "We try to focus on songwriters and songs that promote good qualities and good values."

Music selections run a wide range of generations and genres, from the big bands of the 40s to Toby Keith to gospel to Maroon 5 to bluegrass and beyond.

HYNEK also shared some future plans for the station. One is recruiting what he called "iPod reporters." With modern technology, anyone with an iPod, iPad or iPhone and access to the Internet can record a message or an announcement and upload it directly to the station. HYNEK said he foresees adding eyewitness weather information or even on-site sports reports using this technology.

KSOI also has already hosted and broadcast a small live concert from the studio in Murray, and HYNEK hopes to expand in that area as well.

"Our biggest thing right now is sustainability," said HYNEK.

With the exception of ROMERO, all station personnel are volunteers, including HYNEK, whose full-time job is design engineer at Monsanto in Ankeny. He invited anyone with an interest in radio and an interest in their community to contact him to get involved with 91.9, KSOI, Southern Iowa Community Radio.

Photograph courtesy of Mount Ayr Record-News

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, November of 2012