The new station on 88.1FM will replace KYRS' current Low Power FM station and provide the first non-commercial radio service to approximately 24,000 people in the Spokane region, and added service to 205,000 people, including members of the Colville, Spokane, and Kalispel Indian tribes, and rural areas of five counties. The new station will be 6,500 watts. KYRS' current signal strength is 100 watts. With the full power station, KYRS will nearly double its coverage area, protect its broadcasting frequency, and expand programming to un-served and under-served populations.

For the FY 2009 grant cycle, the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) received 221 radio, television, and non-broadcast applications which request approximately $48.5 million in federal funds. Seven other organizations, including Spokane Public Radio, applied for funding. The PTFP has not yet announced the total amount awarded for FY 2009, but last year it awarded $19 million. The PTFP grants assist, through matching grants, in the planning and construction of public telecommunications facilities in order to extend services to as many people as possible, to increase the number of public telecommunications services and facilities available to, operated by, and controlled by minorities and women, and to strengthen the capability of existing public television and radio stations to provide telecommunications services to the public.

KYRS Board Chair John Orr said, "This is a great day for community radio in Spokane! This grant will give us the thrust we need to launch the station to the next level. We are on our way to becoming a major source for diverse news, music and culture in our area. This is just one more example of the very positive developments taking place in our community."

KYRS Station Manager Lupito Flores said, "We are very grateful to receive this grant and I'd like to thank our Portland engineer Michael Brown of Brown Broadcast Services for his help in preparing the engineering for our successful application. This grant goes a long way towards our construction costs for the new transmission site, but we'll need to raise significantly more to complete the project and to operate the new station."

Thin Air Radio receives seventy percent of its income through individual donations from the community. This is the first federal grant awarded to the station.

"We hope to have the new station built and on-the-air by November 2010," Flores added.

Thin Air Radio's mission is to fill needs that other media do not, providing programming to diverse communities and un-served or under-served groups. KYRS serves the Spokane area with local voices often overlooked by other media. It provides a civic capacity to constructively engage all sectors of the population in solving community problems. KYRS programs provide the community with educational experiences that broaden appreciation for different cultures and perspectives. The station was twice ranked in the top three best Spokane radio stations in the Pacific Northwest Inlander Reader's Poll.
KYRS also recently won the Spokane Arts Commission Bold Strokes Special Achievement Award which recognizes extraordinary achievement in changing the community through art. The award will be presented at the Spokane City Council meeting at 6:00 PM on October 5th followed by a reception in the Kress Gallery. Past Bold Strokes Award winners include the Ronald McDonald House and the Spokane Symphony, among others.