More Than Just a Great Mix of Music.

KAXE, Northern Community Radio, was started in Grand Rapids in 1976 and is a place that shares ideas, talks to innovators, artists, makers, and doers throughout northern Minnesota and beyond. Where you can hear a great mix of music that stands out above the rest; a station that has been working toward a 50/50 male to female/female-identifying playlist for almost 20 years. Though we don’t take ourselves too seriously, KAXE is a media that means business when it comes to creating an equitable playlist - we know (our listeners tell us!) that a more vibrant playlist makes for better radio and a better experience.

Syrup or Brown Sugar?

When you listen to KAXE, you hear stories that connect our human experience helping us become better stewards of the land and its people. Celebrating 48 years on the air, the station has made a name for itself by not adhering to radio norms. Music programs put together and DJ’d by community members, morning shows filled with kids talking about nature, interviews with farmers, conversations with authors, and on Friday mornings hear the minutiae of someone’s meal on What’s for Breakfast, our weekly conversation with a member of KAXE (we promise, hearing if someone has syrup or brown sugar on their oatmeal can be a fantastic 6 minutes of radio!).

With a solid reputation as an authentic and progressive community radio station, KAXE has listeners tune in from all around the country and world each day to hear what is going on in northern Minnesota. We lift up the artistic community of northern Minnesota by engaging in conversation about a creative life.

“We lift up the artistic community of northern Minnesota by engaging in conversation about a creative life.”

Simply the best party in Grand Rapids.

The City of Grand Rapids is set along the Mississippi River, 80 miles east of the Headwaters. Founded as a logging town, Grand Rapids is now set apart by an innovative attitude, deep appreciation for the arts and abundant natural resources. Widely known as the home to Judy Garland, the town sits in Itasca County, home to over 1,000 lakes!

The roots of the Grand Rapids Riverfest came from a smaller festival, the KAXE Mississippi Riverfest, that garnered loyal fans over a 15-year period. Now transformed, the Grand Rapids Riverfest is simply the best party in Grand Rapids.

Through a fabulous lineup with music that truly matters to the spirit, the festival also incorporates local restaurants and breweries, giving you a literal taste of life in northern Minnesota.