About this episode

The episode discusses the rebuilding of WELY AM and FM in Ely, Minnesota, featuring insights from Chief Engineer Erick Burnstad.

This Week in Radio Tech Episode 801 takes us to Ely, Minnesota, where WELY AM and FM — long known as "End of the Road Radio" — is getting a new birth. Civic Media is now the licensee, and Chief Engineer Erick Burnstad walks us through the real-world work of rebuilding a small-town radio station with new studios, a new transmitter, and a new FM antenna system. WELY’s story includes deep local history, a period of silence, and now a renewed commitment to community radio in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters region. Erick shares what the project has taught him about planning, tower work, transmitter replacement, automation conversion, and keeping local service alive while the rebuild continues. It’s a great conversation about the kind of engineering that blends RF, logistics, patience, and genuine hometown purpose. Join us for TWiRT Episode 801 and hear how WELY is coming back to life.

People in this episode

Host: guysfromqueens

Guest: Erick Burnstad

Topics covered

• radio station rebuilding
• community radio
• engineering
• local history
• broadcast technology

Keywords

• WELY
• radio engineering
• community radio
• transmitter replacement
• automation conversion

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Civic Media

Books & works: WELY AM and FM

Places: Ely, Minnesota, Boundary Waters region

More episodes of This Week In Radio Tech (TWiRT)

• TWiRT Ep. 802 - Generative AI in Broadcasting with John Pooley · May 29, 2026 · 1h 1m
• TWiRT Ep. 800 - An Engineered Alternative to Satellite Delivery with Adrian Berkovits · May 15, 2026 · 1h 10m

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