KROX Radio Owner/President/General Manager Chris Fee has been named one of the top Radio Station Managers in 2026 by Radio Ink magazine. The magazine selected 40 of the top radio station managers across the country and honored them in its September issue.
Chris Fee
Owner/Manager of KROX Radio for over 14 years. He started in radio in December 1992 while working part-time in high school. His first shift was to cover while all the staff were at the KROX Christmas party. He also worked for Paul Bunyan Broadcasting in Bemidji at KBUN, KB101, and KZZY while in college at Bemidji State University. Chris has worked for four Minnesota Broadcasters Association Hall of Famers: Jerry Dahlberg and Frank Fee at KROX, and Lou Buron and Mary Campbell in Bemidji.
Fee has been on the Minnesota Broadcasters Association Board of Directors since 2018, served as president in 2021, and will serve as President again in 2028.
He was also inducted into the 2026 Crookston High School Hall of Fame in August.
KROX has developed into a multi-media company that offers radio, a full-service website, and video streaming of high school sports and a few community/school events. KROX takes pride in serving Crookston and the other area communities in northwest Minnesota.
The Q and A they did with Fee is below-
Q -What is your management philosophy in two sentences?
A – My management philosophy is to lead by example through hard work, consistency, fairness, and respect. I set clear expectations, hold myself to the same standards as my employees, listen to their perspectives, and work alongside them to create a positive, accountable, and successful team.
Q- Where do you see the GM/Manager role headed in the next five years?
A – Currently, we are the manager of the station, boss, friend, and sometimes have to play psychologist, emergency manager, engineer, and so many other hats. I don’t see that changing. The biggest change will be how we continue to incorporate AI without hurting our product and being honest with our listeners and advertisers.
Q – How do you keep smaller stations from feeling like an afterthought?
A – I may only have one station to manage, but today we’re much more than a traditional radio station. We also have a full-service website and we video stream with all three platforms working together to serve our audience. The path to success in radio is local, local, local. As long as we remain focused on serving the public and delivering the local news, sports, weather, and information our communities depend on, we will continue to be relevant and successful.
Q – What is the one tool, process, or person that’s made the biggest difference in your day-to-day this past year?
A – My staff of six other employees makes the biggest difference in my day-to-day. What we do with seven employees is amazing. They are all rock stars and do an amazing job!
