Educational Media Foundation is quickly divesting one of the two stations it recently acquired in Minneapolis.
Praise Broadcasting, which sold 95.3 KNOF St. Paul/Minneapolis to Northern Lights Broadcasting in 2015, will reacquire the station from EMF. Upon Educational Media Foundation’s closing of its purchase of what had been rechristened as Hip Hop “Go 95.3” KZGO last month, the station reclaimed its former KNOF call letters and “Praise Live” Contemporary Worship programming that had continued to air in the Minneapolis market on 96.3 KQGO-HD2 as a condition of Northern Lights’ acquisition. As first reported by Northpine, Praise Broadcasting Executive Director David McIver announced on Friday that they will be purchasing KNOF back for $1.225 million.
Praise Broadcasting began operating 95.3 KNOF in 2009 via Time Brokerage Agreement. In 2014 the company paid $5 million to purchase the station outright from Selby Gospel Broadcasting Corporation. KNOF was then sold to Northern Lights in September 2015 for $7.95 million. EMF agreed to purchase 95.3 and Alternative “Go 96.3” KQGO Edina (now “Air 1” KMWA) in December 2020 for $2.45 million.
The “Praise Live” programming also airs on 91.9 KBHZ Willimar, 101.5 KCGN-FM Ortonville, 103.9 KBHL Osakis and two translators owned by the co-owned Christian Heritage Broadcasting along with a network across Africa.