Knox College and Tri States Public Radio in Macomb have signed an agreement that brings 24-hours-a-day public radio programming to Galesburg, and modernizes and expands the reach of the College's radio station, WVKC.

The agreement will enable WVKC to carry national and regional programming from NPR and Tri States Public Radio, 24-hours-a-day on the college's station at 90.7 FM. WVKC has consistently ranked in the top 20 best college radio stations in the country, according to student surveys conducted by The Princeton Review.

"Galesburg is a great community, and it needs and deserves a strong public radio station that is active full-time," said Jonathan Ahl, general manager of Tri States Public Radio (TSPR).

"We plan to open an office in Galesburg, and our staff will be engaged with students and with the community," Ahl said. TSPR plans to have two full-time staff working in Galesburg.

The agreement also creates internship opportunities for Knox students interested in broadcast journalism and production, Ahl said.

WVKC's main FM signal will carry NPR and other national and regional public radio programming from TSPR. New equipment will be installed at the College station to create a second channel, using HD Radio technology. The second channel will broadcast Knox student programming to any receiver with HD capability.

Knox student programming also will be streamed live on the Internet. Ahl said that additional new equipment will make WVKC's Internet streaming much more reliable than it has been in the past.

The agreement, expected to take effect in mid-September, builds on an earlier pact with TSPR that has allowed WVKC to carry NPR news programming on weekday mornings.

"We are delighted to partner with TSPR in this creative partnership. Our plan creates a more technologically advanced radio station at Knox College and expands internship opportunities for Knox students, while serving the Galesburg community with a broader range of public radio programs," said Knox College president Teresa Amott.

Under the agreement, TSPR is providing all of the equipment required at WVKC for both HD Radio and Internet streaming.

On the air since 1961, WVKC's broadcast signal covers the city of Galesburg. TSPR is headquartered at Western Illinois University in Macomb. It operates both analog and digital radio stations covering western Illinois, southeast Iowa and northeast Missouri, including WIUM in Macomb and WIUW in Keokuk, Iowa. HD Radio was developed by iBiquity Digital Corp., and is the form of digital radio used by U.S. radio broadcasters to offer multiple channel capability and higher audio quality on AM and FM signals.