Listeners of Ely's WELY radio station have at least the summer to enjoy its popular programming — its owner has given it a three-month extension while potential offers are explored.
The Twin Cities Star-Tribune reports the station, long a downtown fixture for Ely residents, Boundary Waters paddlers and tourists, was set to shut down June 1. Its owner, the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, has been losing money on the station for years,.
Bois Forte Chair Cathy Chavers said in a news release Friday that "numerous interested parties" were inquiring about a purchase.
"Let's just hope a buyer steps up to the plate and saves the station," Chavers said. "Bois Forte has done all it can to keep the station alive, but now it's time for someone else to keep WELY — The End of the Road Radio — on the airwaves."
If a buyer isn't found, the station will close Sept, according to Jana Hollingsworth at the Star-Tribune.
WELY first began broadcasting in 1954. Financial problems forced a closure in 1987, until CBS journalist Charles Kuralt, known for his "On the Road" program, bought the station in 1995. He operated it until his death in 1997. Bois Forte bought WELY in 2005.
The station employs a full-time general manager and eight part-time workers.
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