After more than a century on the Iowa State University campus, Iowa Public Radio (IPR) will move to downtown Ames by 2028.
IPR is currently located at Iowa State’s Communications Building, 1013 WOI Road.
The offices and studios there were not easy for visitors to find, IPR Executive Director Myrna Johnson told the Ames Voice. The new building, which IPR leaders found earlier this year, will be in the heart of downtown Ames.
Johnson shared her excitement over the new building’s physical visibility and accessibility for Ames residents, noting that it was “much easier to locate.”
IPR’s new Ames location will be in downtown Ames in the KASI building.
“We are still in the Communications Building,” Johnson said. “While there is no set timeline, we have to be out of our current building by June 30th of 2028, per our agreement with Iowa State.”
University leaders are planning to relocate the Department of Public Safety to the Communications Building. In 2024, the university agreed to a three-year lease extension for IPR, allowing the network time to find a new Ames location.
A long history of broadcasting from campus
WOI radio began experimental transmissions on campus in 1911, back when Iowa State was Iowa State College. The station became affiliated with National Public Radio in the early 1970s.
In 2004, the Iowa Board of Regents decided to merge three public radio groups — WOI at Iowa State, WSUI/KSUI at the University of Iowa and KUNI/KHKE at the University of Northern Iowa — into a single entity, Iowa Public Radio.
IPR began managing the stations’ broadcast operations a few years later in 2007.
Public radio’s recent budget cuts
In 2020, the Regents eliminated university funding for IPR, forcing the network to operate independently. Two years later, IPR transitioned to a community-based licensee, fully separating its funding from the university.
Following federal budget cuts last year, IPR expects to lose $1 million — or 10% — of its funding. Amid the budget cutting, IPR also faces some moving challenges.
Johnson said the most difficult aspect of moving will be transporting IPR’s master control system to the new building.
“Luckily, we have a great team of people that will make this process easier,” she said.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated IPR was moving to the KHOI building. It is the KASI building. The article has been corrected. The Voice regrets the error.
