ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- KTIS Radio, the Twin Cities' top Christian radio network, purchased two stations in Des Moines, Iowa, to increase its holdings to 15 Christian stations across the country.

The acquisitions will help the Roseville-based Northwestern College radio station launch what supporters say will be another key year for fund-raising and audience growth.

"It's a good recruitment tool for the college," said Paul Virts, the senior vice president for media for Northwestern College and Radio. "When we look at where our students come from, they tend to be clustered around where our stations are."

The $1.8 million purchase on Jan. 1 is the latest byproduct of KTIS Radio's fund-raising capacity in the Twin Cities, where it ranks behind KQRS and WCCO as the No. 3 station during the morning "drive time" of 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.

In 2003, KTIS's audience, which has grown steadily to 258,000 in the Twin Cities area, gave $800,000 more than organizers had projected.

That kind of fund-raising success has become routine for the noncommercial station since 1998, when KTIS overhauled its FM offerings to include a grouping of catchy Christian contemporary music, news feeds and traffic reports, bookended by glib announcers touting a subtle evangelical message.

Meanwhile, its AM dial broadcasts the "teaching and preaching" typical of most Christian radio stations.

"Our listeners are second to none as far as generosity is concerned," said the Rev. Jon Engen, KTIS manager and morning FM co-host. "Over the past six years, we've seen an extraordinary outpouring of their desire to help us and keep us alive and well."

During its September "Sharathon" event, KTIS raised enough to cover its annual operating budget of $2.6 million in just 36 hours and finished the three-day on-air drive with a total pledge of $4.8 million.

By contrast, Minnesota Public Radio's October pledge drive lasted more than a week and fell $150,000 short of its $1.9 million goal, according to Suzanne Perry, MPR's communications director.