MN Radio: KLBB-AM Signing-Off This Week

When KLBB 1220 AM goes off the air at midnight March 31, Stan Turner, whose broadcasting career began 53 years ago in the news department of KDWB-AM, will be looking for a new station to air his program, according to The Pioneer-Press.

“I’m going to miss folks like you so much,” Turner told Pat, a frequent caller. “You have been a member of a great, wonderful, warm, sincere family that seems to be growing as the days and the weeks and the months and the years go by. It’s so sad to see it come to an end.”

At a time when corporate consolidation of radio companies has drastically reduced the local flavor and diversity of stations, KLBB — known for broadcasting local church services and Stillwater Area High School’s football games — stands out.

Turner gets much of the credit, according to KLBB owner Dan Smith.

“Stan Turner is the biggest thing this station has — that and (Green Bay) Packer football,” Smith said. “When you ask people to call in, and they call in and respond — in such high numbers — you know you’re doing something right.”

Turner stands out in a sea of mediocrity, said longtime fan Kevin McKeever of Lakeville.

“In this age of Facebook-Netflix-Amazon mush, this show is original and unique,” he said. “It’s interaction between listeners — that’s what makes it so special. Like I’ve told Stan, ‘You’re not talking to us. You’re talking with us.’ … It’s good, clean, honest fun, and it’s sincere.

“There is no other station in the Twin Cities that can replace it, this whole model,” McKeever said. “Can you see KOOL-108 or KQRS or some other station picking this up? No. It doesn’t fit the corporate mold. To quote Elvis Presley, it’s going to be ‘Heartbreak Hotel.’ ”

KLBB 1220 AM (5 kw-D, 254 watts-N)

The “outpouring of support” for Turner since the news broke earlier this month has touched him greatly, he said.

“There have been many people calling in, some just with comments about the station going dark,” he said. “It’s hard for me to say that, even. It just breaks my heart. It’s kind of like watching a favorite car rolling toward a cliff. You just want to reach out and stop it.”

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