ELY—After months of technical challenges and weather delays, WELY radio is preparing for a significant milestone that will expand its reach across northeastern Minnesota.
General Manager Terri Pylka announced that the station expects to relaunch its 94.5 FM frequency in January with 35,000 watts of power, bringing WELY’s programming to communities that have never been able to receive the signal before.
“We’re going to be a strong, solid presence in the Lake Vermilion area,” Pylka said. “Communities like Cook, Aurora, and Hoyt Lakes — areas where we haven’t been heard before— will now be able to tune in.”
The road to expansion has been anything but smooth. What station management initially hoped would be a summer launch turned into a months-long odyssey of unforeseen challenges.
“From the beginning, it started with a lot more tower work that we did not quite envision,” Pylka said. The tower required extensive work throughout the summer and fall, followed by delays waiting for a new transmitter that finally arrived in October.
When a tower crew finally scheduled three days of work during what forecasters promised would be ideal conditions, Mother Nature had other plans. 
“They pulled into town, and they must have just carried the weather with them,” Pylka said with a laugh. “From that point on, it rained and got windy.”
The crew managed to complete significant groundwork, and when they return in January, it will primarily be a matter of installing the remaining equipment on the tower and completing electrical work on the transmitter.
“They can climb in cold, and they can climb in some snow,” Pylka said. “They just can’t climb in rain, and they can’t climb in wind.”
Programming brings back local favorites
While working toward the technical expansion, WELY has already brought back popular programming that longtime listeners remember fondly. Polka Ron has returned to Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon, and Trader Craig hosts the trade show Monday through Friday from 9 to 10 a.m.
Local sports coverage has also returned to the airwaves.
“The response has been overwhelming, really,” Pylka said, noting that many people are discovering the station’s return organically. “They just kind of come upon it when they’re in their car or streaming, and they Google it and they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I didn’t know you were back.’”
Once the 94.5 FM signal is operational, WELY plans to roll out additional programming, starting with a morning show running from 6 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday. Pylka hopes to bring back the popular weekend request show that listeners enjoyed in previous years.
The expansion will allow WELY to operate two distinct formats. The 1450 AM signal and its current FM translator at 103.9, will continue as the oldies station, with plans to expand the music library to include more 1970s selections.
The 94.5 FM frequency will feature a separate format, opening up diverse programming possibilities.
“Two formats offer two different programming aspects,” Pylka said. “It definitely opens up that programming window a lot.”
WELY’s revival and expansion is being supported by Civic Media, which purchased the station and invested in its future.
“We’re very fortunate that they purchased us and saw the vision and the future of what WELY could do,” Pylka said. “Without them, this would be a really, really huge endeavor.”
Through it all, Pylka maintains a patient outlook on the various delays and setbacks. 
“I approach every day when I walk into the station the same way,” she said. “You just got to be patient. It’s going to happen eventually.”
The transmitter remains in its longtime location across from the golf course, and listeners can now also access WELY through the Civic Media app, allowing them to stream the station anywhere.