NTIA / PTFP: Public Broadcasting Coverage

SOUTH DAKOTA


State population (2000 census)		754,844

Population receiving a FM public radio signal		678,282	89.9%
(from both in and out-of-state stations)
Population in uncovered FM areas		76,562

Stations in State	FM stations	12
	FM translators	10
	AM stations	0

1989 PTFP Study:	Population receiving a
	FM public radio signal	506,000	73%

Broadcast Coverage Maps

FM Stations - Detail FM Stations - Printable

Public Radio Stations in State

Main stations in bold followed by associated repeaters and translators
Facilities in italics operated by out‑of‑state broadcasters
Location in ( ) - actual location of transmitting facilities
N - New facility since 1989 study # - Station now meets study criteria

FM Stations



KLND
N
89.5 Little Eagle    KCSD
90.9
Sioux Falls

KILI
#
90.1 Porcupine    K219CM N
91.7
Aberdeen

KRSD ¹
88.1 Sioux Falls    K201AP
88.1
Belle Fourche

KUSD
89.7 Vermillion    K214BN
90.7
Edgemont

   KESD
88.3 Brookings    K201AQ
88.1
Hot Springs

   KPSD
N
97.1 Faith    K217CE N
91.3
Huron

   KQSD
91.9 Lowry    K220BA
91.9
Lead

   KZSD
N
102.5 Martin    K215AI N
90.9
Mitchell

   KDSD
90.9 Pierpont    K214AF N
90.7
Pierre

   KBHE
89.3 Rapid City    K203BN
88.5
Pringle

   KTSD
91.1 Reliance    K216AO
91.1
Spearfish

AM Stations
None
¹ Licensed to Minnesota Public Radio, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, MN. Operated by KSJN, Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN.
General Comments
Public radio in South Dakota is principally provided by a state network operated by South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB). SDPB is a state agency which also provides public television service in the state. Two stations are operated by Native American tribal entities. Today all well‑settled areas of South Dakota are reached by a public radio signal. Sioux Falls, the largest city in the state, is served by multiple program services.
FM Service
SDPB, like many state networks, has advanced a plan to extend public radio service throughout South Dakota. Begun in the 1970's, the execution of the plan continued into the 1990's. Since the 1989 PTFP study, two additional stations, KPSD Faith and KZSD Martin, were constructed to address significant gaps in coverage in western South Dakota between Pierre and Rapid City. Four additional translators were added to the network during this time to reinforce coverage in communities outside the primary contours of the FM stations. Two stations licensed to Native American tribal entities, KLND Little Eagle and KILI Porcupine, serve the Standing Rock and Pine Ridge Reservations. In addition, Minnesota Public Radio operates a station in Sioux Falls that repeats its service from Minnesota.
The percentage of South Dakota residents receiving a public radio signal increased from 73% in 1989 to 89.9% currently. The number of residents without public radio service has decreased from 185,000 in 1989 to about 76,562.
AM Service
None. Originally the sole source for public radio in South Dakota was an AM station broadcasting from Vermillion in the southeast corner of the state. SDPB relinquished the license to its AM station in 1994.
Service from Adjacent States
Minnesota Public Radio operates a station in Sioux Falls that repeats its service from Minnesota. South Dakota residents can also receive several other Minnesota Public Radio stations, as well as stations from Iowa, Nebraska and Wyoming.
Unserved Areas
As with other Plains states, the unserved areas of the state are wide open spaces, remote and sparsely populated. Repeater stations and translators may provide the most effective means to cover these areas.
Region A
About 2,000 residents in northwest South Dakota do not receive public radio service. This area has a very low population density.
Region B
About 2,000 residents in the middle of the state are without service. This area includes Lake Oahu and the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation. Here the Missouri River bisects the state and west of the river the landscape becomes more rugged and consists of rolling hills, plains, canyons, and buttes.
Region C
About 8,000 residents in this five county area are without public radio service.
Region D
Nearly half of the state's unserved population, over 40,000 residents, are within six southeast counties; Bon Homme, Charles Mix, Douglas, Hanson, Hutchinson, and McCook.   A channel 6 TV station in Reliance, South Dakota, near KTSD‑FM, may limit engineering options in much of this unserved area.
Region E
This south central area contains nearly 4,000 residents without service.
Region F
The far southwest corner of the state is predominately a national forest, grassland and the Black Hills, a range of low mountains. Approximately 5,500 people live in this region and are without public radio service.
The remainder of the unserved population is scattered throughout the state in counties where the population density can be as low as one-half person per square mile.