Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 6, 2026

KDAK

KDAK is a radio station licensed to serve Carrington, North Dakota. The station is owned by Ingstad Family Media. KDAK airs a classic hits format and covers local sports, including the Carrington Cardinals, New Rockford-Sheyenne Rockets and New Rockford Blacksox.

Last revised
Jul 6, 2026
Read time
≈ 5 min
Length
1,101 w
Citations
19
Source
Wikipedia ↗
KDAK
Frequency1600 kHz
BrandingThe Cardinal
Programming
FormatClassic hits
AffiliationsFox News Radio
Westwood One
Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Vikings
Ownership
Owner
  • Ingstad Family Media (i3G Media)
  • (Two Rivers Broadcasting)
KDDR, KOVC, KQDJ, KQDJ-FM, KQLX, KQLX-FM, KRVX, KXGT, KYNU
History
First air date
1962
Call sign meaning
DAKota
Technical information1
Licensing authority
FCC
68632
ClassD
Power500 watts day
90 watts night
Translator100.1 K261EW (Carrington)2
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
WebsiteNewsDakota.com

KDAK (1600 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Carrington, North Dakota. The station is owned by Ingstad Family Media. KDAK airs a classic hits format3 and covers local sports, including the Carrington Cardinals, New Rockford-Sheyenne Rockets and New Rockford Blacksox.

History

KDAK was developed in 1961 as a new AM radio station for Carrington, North Dakota. Before the station signed on, Broadcasting reported in July 1961 that Roy W. Gunderson, previously an announcer-air personality at KIMN in Denver, had been named general manager of KDAK and that the station was expected to go on the air that fall.4 In October 1961, Broadcasting reported that the station's construction permit was being assigned from Judson D. Tracy, F. W. Carr, and Claire Ihringer, each one-third partners doing business as Central Broadcasting Co., to a newly incorporated Central Broadcasting Co. made up of the same principals; no financial consideration was involved.5

A local Foster County centennial history account states that KDAK, operating under the name Central Broadcasting, Inc. and using the slogan "Top of the Dial", went on the air on October 16, 1961.6 By April 1962, Broadcasting described KDAK as a "new daytimer" serving a central North Dakota market in a classified advertisement seeking a salesman for the station under Gunderson as general manager.7

In 1967, the Federal Communications Commission directed Central Broadcasting Co., then licensee of KDAK, to pay a $500 forfeiture for failing to have a properly licensed operator on duty.8

By the mid-1980s, KDAK was paired with an FM sister station. In March 1985, Broadcasting reported that KDAK-AM-FM, consisting of KDAK at 1600 kHz with 500 watts daytime and KDAK-FM at 92.7 MHz with 3 kW, sought assignment of license from Carrington Broadcasting Inc. to Randall L. Christenson and his wife, Roxann, for assumption of liabilities. The seller was owned by Dennis J. Stramer and Perry Kugler, while the Christensons were listed as having no other broadcast interests.9

In 1994, The M Street Journal listed a proposed transfer of KDAK from Randall and Roxann Christensen to Two Rivers Broadcasting.10 The FCC later listed KDAK, facility ID 68632, as licensed to Two Rivers Broadcasting, Inc.; in 2013, the commission granted renewal of license for KDAK to Two Rivers Broadcasting.11

In 2017, the FCC accepted for filing an involuntary transfer of control of KDAK from Janice M. Ingstad, deceased, to the Estate of Janice M. Ingstad, with Tanya Ingstad Knudson as personal representative.12 The FCC granted a subsequent voluntary transfer of control, as amended, from the Estate of Janice M. Ingstad to Robert J. Ingstad, Tallie Colville, and Todd Ingstad, with condition, in actions released January 2, 2018.13

In early 2018, KDAK changed format. NorthPine reported that KDAK dropped the agriculture-intensive "Dakota Country Radio" format, which had originated at KOVC in Valley City, and began carrying classic hits as "The Cardinal". At the time of the change, KDAK held a construction permit for FM translator K261EW at 100.1 MHz in Carrington, though NorthPine reported that the translator did not yet appear to be on the air.14 NorthPine had separately listed K261EW among FM translators granted for AM revitalization purposes in January 2018.15

The FCC granted renewal of license for both KDAK and translator K261EW to i3G Media, Inc. on March 22, 2021.16 NorthPine lists KDAK as a 500-watt daytime and 90-watt nighttime AM station carrying classic hits as "The Cardinal", with K261EW at 100.1 MHz as its 250-watt FM translator; the listing also notes Minnesota Twins programming on both signals.17

KDAK has continued to emphasize local service for Carrington and the surrounding area. The station's app listing describes KDAK AM 1600/100.1 FM as "The Cardinal", providing local news, weather and sports, and as a full-service heritage AM station locally owned and operated by i3G Media.18 In 2024, News Dakota announced that B. J. Walters had been hired as morning announcer for KDAK AM 1600/100.1 FM and as the primary play-by-play announcer for Carrington baseball, softball, football, volleyball and basketball; the same report described i3G Media as a family-owned company headquartered in Valley City, North Dakota, operating stations across east-central North Dakota, western Minnesota and eastern South Dakota.19

FM translator

Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class Transmitter coordinates FCC info
K261EW 100.1 FM Carrington, North Dakota 200072 250 48 m (157 ft) D 47°25′42.9″N 99°5′4.4″W / 47.428583°N 99.084556°W / 47.428583; -99.084556 LMS
References

References

  1. "Facility Technical Data for KDAK". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. "FCCdata.org - powered by REC". fccdata.org.
  3. "Winter 2008 Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  4. "The Media" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. July 24, 1961. p. 68. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  5. "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. October 23, 1961. p. 84. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  6. Zink, Lucile. "KDAK Central Broadcasting Inc". Griggs County Historical Society. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  7. "Classified Advertising" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. April 30, 1962. p. 80. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  8. "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. June 26, 1967. p. 89. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  9. "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. March 11, 1985. p. 51. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  10. "Proposed Station Transfers" (PDF). The M Street Journal. April 6, 1994. p. 4. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  11. "Broadcast Actions" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. June 12, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  12. "Broadcast Applications" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. January 31, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  13. "Broadcast Actions" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. January 2, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  14. "Broadcasting News-February 2018". NorthPine: Upper Midwest Broadcasting. February 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  15. "Broadcasting News-January 2018". NorthPine: Upper Midwest Broadcasting. January 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  16. "Public Notice: Actions" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. March 24, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  17. "North Dakota Radio Stations". NorthPine: Upper Midwest Broadcasting. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  18. "KDAK The Cardinal App". App Store. Apple. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  19. Dickerman, Jamie (April 19, 2024). "New Faces, New Roles: BJ Walters Joins Carrington/Jamestown as Announcer, Jess Sabinash Elevates as Primary Account Executive for KDAK Carrington". News Dakota. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
External links

47°25′43″N 99°05′03″W / 47.42861°N 99.08417°W / 47.42861; -99.08417