Yankton radio station has new owner
By Loretta Sorensen, Journal correspondent | Posted: Sunday, June 08, 2008
Carolyn and Doyle Becker recently purchased Yankton's KYNT/KK93 radio station, where Carolyn worked during high school and college and as a sales manager in the '90s. (Photo by Loretta Sorensen)
YANKTON, S.D. -- Dreams of owning a radio station recently became a reality for Carolyn and Doyle Becker when they purchased six South Dakota stations from NRG Media, including Yankton's KYNT and KK93. The couple also owns Nebraska City's KNCY AM and FM stations.
"As a high school student, when I applied to work at KYNT part time, I knew I wanted to own the station," Carolyn Becker said. "I watched my dad organize his morning around the radio. He turned it up loud and could tell if he was late by what was on. That's where my interest in radio began."
Carolyn Becker worked for KYNT even during her college years, filling in during breaks and over vacation times. Her commitment to owning the station was "never swayed" as she continued to explore what steps she needed to take to make her plans a reality.
"I knew I had to work in sales in order to prepare for a management position," she said. "I lived in Carroll, Iowa, for a couple of years and sold in the Le Mars, Iowa, and Sioux City areas. In 1997, I came back to KYNT and was here until the station in Nebraska City came up for sale in 2006."
A trend in recent years for large media companies to sell their smaller stations has put a large number of stations across the country, like KYNT/KK93, on the market. The Beckers had prepared for just such an opportunity several years ago by consulting with Dean Sorensen, former owner of KYNT, about what they needed to do to position themselves to purchase a station.
"He helped us tremendously," Carolyn Becker said. "As he advised, we kept in contact with different media companies, including NRG, over the years. When they decided to sell KYNT, they knew we were interested."
Former KYNT DJ, Scott Kooistra, also has played a role in the Beckers' success with their stations. He left a Minneapolis radio position to become their general manager in Nebraska City.
Doyle Becker's expertise with biomedical engineering complements Carolyn Becker's background with broadcasting. He is able to oversee the equipment aspect of their stations while she works with station management.
"I fix and maintain the biomedical equipment at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital," Doyle Becker said. "The radio equipment is very similar and I enjoy being involved with the stations."
The Beckers believe they have a highly competent staff at their stations and have no plans to make major changes in station formats.
"What people look for in their local station is local information," Carolyn Becker said. "You can't get that from satellite radio, CDs or Ipods. Our focus will be to provide listeners with up-to-date news and weather and information about local events."
Doyle and Carolyn Becker said they were doubly pleased when they were able to purchase the Yankton stations and continue to live in their hometown.
"We have family here and family is always our first priority," Doyle Becker said. "We're centrally located between the eight stations and we're excited about the future."
In addition to the Yankton and Nebraska City stations, the Beckers also acquired
KORN-AM and KQRN-FM in Mitchell, S.D., and KCCR-AM and KLXS-FM in Pierre, S.D.
"As a high school student, when I applied to work at KYNT part time, I knew I wanted to own the station," Carolyn Becker said. "I watched my dad organize his morning around the radio. He turned it up loud and could tell if he was late by what was on. That's where my interest in radio began."
Carolyn Becker worked for KYNT even during her college years, filling in during breaks and over vacation times. Her commitment to owning the station was "never swayed" as she continued to explore what steps she needed to take to make her plans a reality.
"I knew I had to work in sales in order to prepare for a management position," she said. "I lived in Carroll, Iowa, for a couple of years and sold in the Le Mars, Iowa, and Sioux City areas. In 1997, I came back to KYNT and was here until the station in Nebraska City came up for sale in 2006."
A trend in recent years for large media companies to sell their smaller stations has put a large number of stations across the country, like KYNT/KK93, on the market. The Beckers had prepared for just such an opportunity several years ago by consulting with Dean Sorensen, former owner of KYNT, about what they needed to do to position themselves to purchase a station.
"He helped us tremendously," Carolyn Becker said. "As he advised, we kept in contact with different media companies, including NRG, over the years. When they decided to sell KYNT, they knew we were interested."
Former KYNT DJ, Scott Kooistra, also has played a role in the Beckers' success with their stations. He left a Minneapolis radio position to become their general manager in Nebraska City.
Doyle Becker's expertise with biomedical engineering complements Carolyn Becker's background with broadcasting. He is able to oversee the equipment aspect of their stations while she works with station management.
"I fix and maintain the biomedical equipment at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital," Doyle Becker said. "The radio equipment is very similar and I enjoy being involved with the stations."
The Beckers believe they have a highly competent staff at their stations and have no plans to make major changes in station formats.
"What people look for in their local station is local information," Carolyn Becker said. "You can't get that from satellite radio, CDs or Ipods. Our focus will be to provide listeners with up-to-date news and weather and information about local events."
Doyle and Carolyn Becker said they were doubly pleased when they were able to purchase the Yankton stations and continue to live in their hometown.
"We have family here and family is always our first priority," Doyle Becker said. "We're centrally located between the eight stations and we're excited about the future."
In addition to the Yankton and Nebraska City stations, the Beckers also acquired
KORN-AM and KQRN-FM in Mitchell, S.D., and KCCR-AM and KLXS-FM in Pierre, S.D.
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