If you have done contortionist acts with a coat hanger in one hand and a radio dial in the other, you may be an AM radio listener. (If you’re not, I’m really curious what you are doing.) Well, there’s news on that front. One of Lawrence’s AM stations is expanding over to the FM dial.

The parent company that owns Lawrence’s KLWN 1320 has confirmed that it is launching a new FM station that will simulcast all KLWN programming, including Jayhawk athletics and the Kansas City Royals.

Tim Robisch, general manager for Great Plains Media, said the new radio station will broadcast at 101.7 on the radio dial. The station actually is already on the air some, but its signal may be intermittent while technicians are tweaking signal strength and doing various other tests required by the FCC.

Beginning Tuesday morning, the station is expected to be fully operational. Robisch said the new station is big news for Great Plains, which in addition to KLWN 1320 also operates pop music station 105.9 KISS FM, and country music station 92.9 The Bull. KLWN is a news and sports talk radio station, with much of its morning and afternoon programing consisting of locally produced shows. Robisch said that will continue to be the case. The difference will be that people can now listen to it on an FM frequency, which is expected to producer greater audience both geographically and demographically.

“We know because of the technology that our signal now will get into Johnson County and Topeka, but we’re not going to change our focus on Douglas County,” Robisch said, although he thinks the change will be attractive to Lawrence commuters who work in Topeka or Kansas City. The station’s transmitter is attached to the KANU public radio tower on west campus.

Robisch is hoping the FM frequency will attract some listeners who are otherwise hard to reach on the AM dial.

“There are a lot of people under the age of 40 that may never tune into AM radio,” Robisch said. “This will give us a chance to reach them.”

In addition, AM radio continues to face signal challenges as tall buildings, Bluetooth connections and other issues can cause interruptions in the AM signal. KLWN took advantage of the federal AM Revitalization Act, which allows certain AM stations to purchase the frequency of an FM station to use as a simulcast channel for AM programming.

People who still like the AM experience, though, won’t have to change. KLWN programming will continue to be broadcast on the 1320 frequency. That means there now will be three Lawrence-based radio stations broadcasting KU sports — 1320, 105.9 and soon 101.7. Robisch said the Kansas City Royals also will be broadcast on the 101.7 frequency.

“But it also will include the high school football and basketball games that we do,” Robisch said. “I think people will really be excited about that.”