Kent, OH - Jul 22, 2009 - WKSU-FM, licensed to Kent State University, has added HD Radio to another of its repeater stations. The WKSU Thompson, OH, repeater station WKSV-FM activated its HD Radio transmission on July 18. All full-power licensed stations in the WKSU network of stations are now broadcasting with HD Radio technology. Each station carries multicasts HD-2, HD-3) and PAD (program-associated data).

The WKSU stations with HD Radio signals are:
WKSU-FM, Kent, OH (main station)
WKSV - Thompson, OH (repeater)
WKRJ - New Philadelphia, OH (repeater)
WKRW - Wooster, OH (repeater)
WNRK - Norwalk, OH (repeater)

WKSU has two smaller translator stations - one in Boardman (Youngstown), OH, transmitting 38W, and one in Ashland, OH, transmitting 85W. Those stations are not yet transmitting HD Radio signals pending further development of reasonably priced HD Radio technology for FM translator stations.

WKSU's network of stations is configured so that each channel of each station (main, HD-2, and HD-3) can be programmed independently and simultaneously from the WKSU Broadcast Center on the campus of Kent State University in Kent, OH. For the immediate future, the programming will be the same for each channel of each station (WKSU main channel, Folk Alley on HD-2, and all-classical on HD-3). The addition of an HD-4 all-news channel may come later this year when Ibiquity Digital releases the software for such.

According to Ron Bartlebaugh, director of broadcast engineering for WKSU, this project was a mammoth combined effort of the WKSU Broadcast Engineering, Information Technology and Business Finance departments. It included establishing a connectivity network to each station, replacing three transmitters (WKRJ, WKRW and WKSV), and installing equipment at the WKSU Broadcast Center and at each transmitter location.