Iowa State is planning to take over the operations of a public radio station in Fort Dodge.

The plan to take over KTPR Radio 91.1 FM has been approved by the Board of Regents, State of Iowa.

Iowa Central Community College currently runs the station and wanted to lessen its maintenance burden, said Warren Madden, vice president for Business and Finance.

“ICCC concluded that in order to meet the standards and needs of their audience in the Fort Dodge area, it needed to transfer its license,” he said.

ICCC went to WOI Radio, which is owned and operated by ISU, and offered to reassign its Federal Communications Commission license to the university. The takeover will occur within the next two years, Madden said.

According to a docket from the Board of Regents, ICCC will contribute $80,000 toward the operation of the radio station during the first year of the transfer. The next year, it will contribute $50,000. After that, ICCC will evaluate its future commitment to the station and decide what to do next.

Madden said the station itself will be responsible for raising funds for local programming, just like any other public broadcasting station.

He also noted that the FCC still needs to approve the transfer, saying it would probably be done this spring. Until that happens, the station will remain under the control of ICCC. However, ISU is managing the station under an interim agreement.

An advisory committee of Fort Dodge community members has been formed to review the takeover. The committee has found that the Fort Dodge community is very supportive.

“It’s really a win-win situation for both stations,” Madden said. “It will allow the stations to be run from a central management and will provide great new programming opportunities for both stations.”