Saxonburg radio station donated to school
May 15, 2025After ten years, Saxonburg’s online/micropower radio station will come under new ownership.
Ken Hawk at work in the studio of SaxonburgRadio.com
Signal Communications Partners, headed by veteran Pittsburgh area broadcaster Ken Hawk, has agreed to donate the station and its physical assets to the Knoch School District in Saxonburg, Butler County. The school board voted unanimously at ‘s meeting to accept the donation. The transaction is expected to be finalized by the end of June.
“We’re trying to get this done by the end of the fiscal year if we can do it,” said Hawk. “There’s going to be a change in the administration that’s happening concurrently with the transaction, but I don’t anticipate any hiccups.”
Hawk, who is 55, began his career at the former WACB (now WKFO 103.7 the River) in Kittanning, is retiring from broadcasting after 37 years. He chose to donate the station in hopes of starting a radio curriculum at Knoch High School.
“I had some surplus equipment that I was looking to get rid of and donate for them to start a studio so they could produce podcasts,” said Hawk. “Then my wife suggested donating the station. It made perfect sense. It’ll start as a club for now, until they can develop a curriculum and get state approval for it. That’s the ultimate goal, and it may take two or three years.”
The station, known as Saxonburgradio.com and informally uses the call letters WIYQ-DB, first went on the air , 2015. It features a full-service adult contemporary format weekdays, with smooth jazz and soft rock overnight, and classic hits on the weekends. The station utilizes news through the SRN Network and produces local headlines through the Butler Eagle newspaper. In addition to its net stream, the station operates under Part 15 FCC rules for micropower over-the-air operation at 100.3 FM and 1620 AM.
Hawk, who is also a classic car enthusiast, says he’s retiring to concentrate on his family, including a restoration project of a classic BMW with his teenage daughter. He says the station’s success demand much of his time, and he would rather spend it on his family.
“A station like this needs a lot of hands-on care to be successful,” said Hawk. “Even when I’m on vacation, I don’t get a chance to really ‘unplug’ because business still needs to get done and I have to update this or that. Now I’ll have that. It’s time for me to do something else, and watch the next generation take it from here.”
