The Kwara State Broadcasting Corporation, Ilorin, with broadcasting identification, Radio Kwara, started broadcasting service in Ilorin in 1956 as a relay station. It was then known as provincial Broadcasting House. The ¼ Kilowatt (KW) Medium Wave transmitter which was then used, covered only about 8 kilometre radius of Ilorin.

However, Kwara State Broadcasting Corporation as constituted today, formally came into being with the enactment of the Kwara Edict No 3 of 1979, but with retrospective effect from April 1st , 1978. This was one of the beneficial by-product of the first state creation in Nigeria.

On the creation of the State in 1967, a master plan was drawn up and approved for the country as to the number and capacity of transmitter and mode of transmission to be sited in each location. Owing to the topography of Kwara State, it was decided that it should be covered with both medium and short wave transmitters.

In 1974, construction work started on the modern Studio/Broadcasting House, the 10 KW short wave, and 20 KW medium wave transmitting station sites. These facilities were put in use as from 19th December, 1976. However, following the directive of the Federal Government, the short wave transmitter was closed down in 1978.

On 1st April, 1978, in compliance with Federal Government’s directive which transferred all Radio Nigeria Stations in the State to their respective host-states. The formal handing over of the Station by the NBC to the Kwara State Government was performed by Mr. Horation Agedeh of Federal Radio Corporation, Lagos on 5th September, 1978. All the existing Staff then were given the option of either staying with the Corporation or going to the Federal Radio Corporation. Those who opted to stay were retained.

At the time of take-over by the State Government, this Station had a Broadcasting House situated at the present premises and transmitting station located at Apata Yakuba, along Jebba Road, Ilorin. It then had two 10 kilowatts medium wave transmitters and 10 kilowatts short wave transmitter at Apata Yakuba Station. The two inherited 10 KW transmitters were very old. In fact, only one of them was working satisfactorily at the time of take over in 1978.

In 1984, the Federal Government boosted the transmitting capacity of Radio Kwara through the directive that transferred the Federal Radio Station in Ilorin to the Kwara State Government. The Station then had two (2) 50KW medium wave transmitters at Budo Efo. With this development, the State Government approved the recommendation of the Corporation to install the four imported 10 KW medium wave transmitters in the fringe areas of the then Kwara State for effective coverage. Two of them were installed Egbe, one at Otite near Okene (both now in Kogi State) and the fourth at Koro in New Bussa ( now in Niger State). All the three booster Stations were completed and commissioned.

In spite of the giant strides, in 1999 the transmitting station at Budo Efo witnessed a serious set-back when the 840 feet tower mast was truck and destroyed by thunder storm. This problem became a serious challenge to contend with; bearing in mind that the transmitting station had then become an integral part of Radio Kwara and a dependable ally in the performance of its statutory responsibility.

Effort to resuscitate the station between 2000 and 2002 resulted in the provision of a new tower mast and a 50KW Thomcast transmitter to restore normal transmission. In spite of the effort by Alhaji Mohammed Lawal’s administration, the transmitter remained insufficient. However, the Government of Dr. Bukola Saraki, on assumption of office in May, 2003 , set the ball rolling to renovate the station with award of contract for the provision of modern studio equipment and additional 50 KW Harris transmitter for the transmission, totalling over N300,000,000.

This singular development has made Radio Kwara not just one of the few Radio Stations with installed digital studios in Nigeria, but one of the first stations in Nigeria, to comply with the global directive on conversion from analogue broadcast to digital broadcast.