Tony Abfalter is director of engineering and IT for Leighton Media, which has approximately three dozen radio signals in Minnesota and North Dakota including FMs, AMs and FM translators.
Leighton Broadcasting was founded in 1963 by Al Leighton in Detroit Lakes, Minn., an area that boasts more than 400 lakes within 25 miles.
Two years ago the company celebrated its 60th anniversary and subsequently rebranded as Leighton Media, reflecting the variety of marketing and advertising services it offers.
It recently created a new home for its stations in Detroit Lakes, including KBOT(FM), KRCQ(FM) and the first Leighton station, KDLM(AM).
“This project was special because this was our company’s original radio market,” Abfalter said, and the stations were moving from its original site just north of the city.
“We ended up with three on-air studios, with one being a large AM studio with seven guest spots, and two production studios.” He said the company sought to create a clean layout that can support podcasting and video as well as radio needs.
“The community was extremely involved in the process, not only because we sourced a lot of materials and products locally, but also just the general interest from the community, supporting our radio stations in Detroit Lakes.”
Demolition began in 2022 while Abfalter was away at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. Construction began when he returned and was completed in early 2024.
General Manager Jeff Leighton collaborated with Abfalter on the building layout and design. Abfalter and fellow engineer Dave Hartman designed the studios. The integration and buildout were handled in-house by the Leighton engineers, with Abfalter acting as general contractor.
Key components include products from Wheatstone, RCS, Comrex, Yellowtec, Electro-Voice and Broadcasters General Store.
The custom furniture includes an LED illumination strip around the edges, with its color and patterns run by a NotaBotYet controller, for a little extra flare. And to add a bit of personality in the lobby, the engineering team has installed a tower section with a working beacon and a small retired FM antenna bay. “It’s definitely a conversation piece when people see it.”
Read more stories about new radio studios in the ebook “Amazing Radio Studios 2025.”
