KLBB (1400 AM) and KLBP (1470 AM) are two radio stations in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota. Together, the stations are operated as The KLBB Company, a for-profit subsidiary of the Greenspring Company, which is a for-profit subsidiary of the non-profit American Public Media Group, which operates Minnesota Public Radio and other properties. KLBB primarily airs big band, swing, and jazz music. KLBP simulcasts the signal. The two frequencies are part of the Minnesota News Network (MNN).
KLBB originated as the radio station WMIN in the summer of 1936 when Saint Paul businessman Edward Hoffman began broadcasting at 1370 kHz. It was reassigned to the 1400 kHz frequency in 1941 when an international treaty was negotiated to reduce interference between American radio stations and those from other regions. Noted jazz announcer Leigh Kamman started his career in broadcasting at the station in this time.
The station set up WMIN-FM at 99.5 MHz around 1945, which operated until being purchased by WLOL in 1956. WLOL-FM operated until 1991 when it was bought by Minnesota Public Radio to become today's KSJN, the flagship of MPR's classical music network.
WMIN applied for a television license in 1952 for channel 11. WTCN radio had also applied for this frequency, so the stations arranged to divide the broadcast day between the two stations. The stations soon merged as WTCN, which eventually became today's KARE.
In 1954, the call sign for 1400 AM briefly changed to WMNS, reflecting a change to a format of music, news, and sports. The format remained, but the station returned to being WMIN later that year.
The call sign changed again in 1972 to KEEY, which remained for a decade until the station became KLBB in 1982.
Other Twin Cities stations are currently using the WMIN call sign (740 AM) and KEEY ("K102" 102.1 FM, a popular country music station). There is a low-power TV station in Virginia known as WMNS (channel 22).
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