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KDRW

KDRW
Simulcasts KCRW, Santa Monica
Broadcast areaSanta Barbara and Ventura Counties
Frequency88.7 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingKCRW Santa Barbara
Programming
FormatPublic radio (News, Talk, Specialty Music)
AffiliationsNational Public Radio
Ownership
OwnerSanta Monica Community College District
History
First air date
January 1985; 39 years ago (1985-01) (as KSCA)
Former call signs
KSCA (1982–1989)
KFAC (1989–2004)
KQSC (2004–2014)
KDRW-FM (2014)
Call sign meaning
Disambiguation of parent station KCRW
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID69085
ClassB
ERP12,000 watts
HAAT264 meters (866 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
34°27′55″N 119°40′42″W / 34.46528°N 119.67833°W / 34.46528; -119.67833
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
Websitekcrw.com

KDRW (88.7 MHz) is a non-commercial FM radio station that is licensed to Santa Barbara, California. The station is owned by Santa Monica College and mostly simulcasts KCRW and its public radio format, a mix of news, talk and specialty music programs, some produced by KCRW and some from NPR. However, KDRW also originates some programming locally from its studios on the campus of Antioch University Santa Barbara.

KDRW has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 12,000 watts, using HD Radio technology.[2] The transmitter is off Gibraltar Road in Santa Barbara, amid the towers for other local FM and TV stations.[3]

History

In January 1985; 39 years ago (1985-01), the station signed on as KSCA. Owned by the University of Southern California (USC), the non-commercial KSCA broadcast classical music programming as a simulcast of KUSC.[4] The call letters changed to KFAC in 1991,[5] then to KQSC in 2004.[6]

In February 2014, public radio station KCRW, based in Santa Monica, California, purchased Santa Barbara classical station KDB for $1 million. The acquisition allowed KCRW to extend its reach into the Santa Barbara area. With the Santa Barbara market facing the possible elimination of classical radio programming, USC purchased KDB and that station began relaying KUSC's programming.[7] Upon closing the transaction on August 27, 2014 — a deal which also saw KQSC going to KCRW — KQSC changed its call sign to KDRW-FM and began simulcasting KCRW. The station's call letters changed again on October 1, 2014, to simply KDRW.

Unlike a typical repeater station that simply rebroadcasts its parent station's programming, KDRW offers some locally originated programming. The station's Santa Barbara studios are located on the campus of Antioch University Santa Barbara. Local news reports are made in cooperation with the Santa Barbara Independent weekly newspaper and a local nonprofit organization specializing in investigative journalism.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KDRW". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "Station Search Details: KDRW". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  3. ^ Radio-Locator.com/KDRW
  4. ^ "Directory of Radio Stations in the United States and Canada" (PDF). Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook. Broadcasting Publications Inc. 1986. p. B-40. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  5. ^ "Directory of Radio Stations in the United States and Canada" (PDF). The Broadcasting Yearbook. Broadcasting Publications Inc. 1991. p. B-46. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  6. ^ "Directory of Radio Stations in the United States" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook. New Providence, New Jersey: R.R. Bowker. 2005. p. D-96. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Faughnder, Ryan (February 18, 2014). "KCRW buying Santa Barbara classical station KDB". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 16, 2018.