KCRW

Santa Monica, California
Broadcast area	Southern California Greater Los Angeles Area
Frequency	89.9MHz (HD Radio)
Programming
Language	English
Format	News Talk (Public Radio) Eclectic Music
Subchannels	HD2: Eclectic-24
Affiliations	NPR PRI APM BBC
Ownership
Owner	Santa Monica College (Santa Monica Community College District)
History
First air date	1947
Call sign meaning	CollegeRadioWorkshop[1]
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	59086
Class	B
ERP	6,900watts
HAAT	338 meters (1,109 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	34°7′8″N118°23′30″W / 34.11889°N 118.39167°W /34.11889; -118.39167
Repeater(s)	See§ Stations
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Live on-air Live on-air (PLS) Music Music (PLS) News News (PLS)
Website	kcrw.com

KCRW (89.9FM) is anNPR member station broadcasting from the campus ofSanta Monica College inSanta Monica, California, where the station is licensed. KCRW airs original news and music programming in addition to programming from NPR and other affiliates. A network of repeaters andbroadcast translators, as well asinternet radio, allows the station to serve theGreater Los Angeles area and other communities in Southern California. The station's main transmitter is located in Los Angeles'sLaurel Canyon district, adjacent to Mulholland Drive at the end of Briarcrest Road, and broadcasts in theHD radio format.^[3] It is one of two full NPR members in the Los Angeles area;Pasadena-basedKPCC is the other.

KCRW was founded in 1945 to train servicemen returning fromWorld War II in the then-new technology,FM broadcasting—hence its call letters, which stand for College Radio Workshop. It was a charter member of NPR in 1970, making Santa Monica College the second community college to own a public radio or television station.

FormerKPFK program directorRuth Seymour became general manager in 1978 and retired in February 2010. Born Ruth Epstein to Russian-Polish Jewish immigrants, she grew up in the East Bronx, studied at Sholem Aleichem Folk School^[4] and theCity College of New York, and married and divorcedJack Hirschman,^[5] adopting the name of her paternal great-grandfather in 1993 to become Ruth Hirschman Seymour.^[6] She developed a mix of music, news, and other spoken-word programming that now attracts over 500,000 listeners each week. She was also known for a feisty temperament^[7] and a spur-of-the-moment style that led to the nickname "Lady of the Iron Whim."^[8][9][10]

The current general manager is Jennifer Ferro.^[11] Ferro is also the President of the KCRW Foundation, which provides financial support and other resources to ensure that KCRW can maintain and expand its mission consistent with economic, social and technological developments. The KCRW Foundation board of directors is composed of business and community leaders; Monica J. Shilling, a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, serves as chair.

The station airs programs from NPR,Public Radio International (PRI),American Public Media, and theBBC, a range of music programs and live in-studio performances, and locally produced news and culture programs.^[12] KCRW also airs programming created through their Independent Producer Project, a project KCRW created to support "the work of independent contributors," which includes programs like Strangers,^[13] UnFictional,^[14] and SoundsLA.^[15] The station has three live program streams—"On Air," "Eclectic 24" and "News 24"^[16]—and on-demand listening through the KCRW apps^[17] and podcasts.^[18]

In August 2013, KCRW released a new logo and brand design created by Los Angeles–based branding agencyTroika Design Group.^[19]

KCRW is an affiliate of NPR. Music programming includes the station's music programMorning Becomes Eclectic.

Warren Olney hosts the station's news and public affairs programs,To the Point (nationally distributed by Public Radio International).

KCRW covers the Southern California film industry with programs includingThe Business with Kim Masters,The Treatment with Elvis Mitchell,Martini Shot with Rob Long, and film reviews from Pulitzer Prize winningWall Street Journal film criticJoe Morgenstern.

Music programs feature an eclectic array of songs from around the globe, particularly on the daily music programMorning Becomes Eclectic and the daytime weekend line-up. At night, music such ashouse,progressive, andelectronic dance music are the main styles on shows formerly known asMetropolis andNocturna. KCRW dropped all program names exceptMorning Becomes Eclectic andStrictly Jazz in 2008. Three of the station's previous music directors currently have programs on the air at KCRW.

Local and regional touring artists can send recordings to KCRW for consideration of airplay.

KCRW airs Santa Monica City Council meetings live when they are held. Because of the nature of the repeater network, Santa Monica City Council meetings can be heard throughout the Southern California region reaching out to approximately 150 mi (240 km).

Before its current host,Evan Kleiman, took over as host, the KCRW showGood Food was parodied onSaturday Night Live in arecurring charactersketch series,Delicious Dish, withAna Gasteyer andMolly Shannon.

Since 2013, KCRW has put on the annual Radio Race, a 24-hour competition in which participants can write, record, and edit a nonfiction radio story.Here Be Monsters, a podcast about fears and the unknown, got its start on KCRW after winning Radio Race.

KCRW's flagship program isMorning Becomes Eclectic, a three-hour daily music program that has aired for more than 30 years. Historically, the show host is also the station'smusic director. Isabel Holt created the show in 1978.Tom Schnabel hosted the show from 1979 to 1990. In November 1990,Chris Douridas took over the show, hosting until April 1998.Nic Harcourt was in the seat from 1998 until December 1, 2008, coming fromWDST FM 100.1 in Woodstock, N.Y. At WDST Harcourt successfully transitioned a traditional Triple A station to a cutting-edge trendsetting Alternative station in the shadow of New York City. Longtime KCRW DJJason Bentley, known for his "Metropolis" nighttime avant garde dance program, is the former host and music director. That position (morning host and MD respectively) will be split in two on August 30, 2019, with Bentley relinquishing both duties after 10 years, but will continue hostingMetropolis.^[48]

KCRW has given initial exposure to artists such asColdplay,Norah Jones,Sigur Ros,Damien Rice,David Gray andLorde.^[49] KCRW programming has won numerous awards and accolades, including theGolden Pylon Award in 2011^[50] and 2014,^[51] aPRNDI Award in 2013^[52] and 2014,^[53] TheEdward R. Murrow Award in 2014 and 2015,^[54] theWebby Award in 2015,^[55] anAPTRA Award in 2015,^[56] TheGracie Award in 2016,^[57] and seven first place awards from theLos Angeles Press Club for the year of 2015.^[58]

Several hosts have extended their careers into music supervision for both film and television, includingChris Douridas (American Beauty,Shrek 2 andHouse of Lies), Liza Richardson (Friday Night Lights andThe Kids Are All Right), andGary Calamar, the music supervisor forHBO'sTrue Blood andSix Feet Under.

Streaming media is now prominent at the station, which streams thousands of hours of content each week. KCRW provides three different live streams: the live broadcast, a 24-hour music service, and a 24-hour news service. Streams are available through web browsers, with alternate streams offered using thePLS file format, which can be played using software such asiTunes,Winamp andRealPlayer. The music service and news service are also included as channels inAOL Radio. The station also archives its talk and music programs for listeners to stream at their convenience, and offerspodcasts of in-studio performance and talk programs.

KCRW has members across the country and the station regularly sponsors live music events throughout theUnited States and inCanada.

In a 2021L.A. Podcast interview, former stafferCerise Castle accused the station of "microaggressions, gaslighting, and blatant racism." The station investigated the accusations with the help of a law firm. In a statement, the station said: "Ultimately, several of the claims were found to be unsubstantiated or not corroborated. But we take all claims very seriously."^[59]

KCRW promotes a great deal of live music events nationally, featuring both established and emerging artists. In April 2011, KCRW promoted and sponsored the controversial graffiti exhibit entitled "Art in the Streets" at theMuseum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MoCA). TheLos Angeles Times reported an increase in tagging around MoCA after the exhibit opened to the public.

KCRW programming is relayed by five full-power stations. However, KERW—serving San Luis Obispo—is a full-time HD1 simulcast partner with KCRW-HD2's "Eclectic 24" music programming. "Eclectic 24" is heard on the HD2 signals of the four other stations, as it does on KCRW itself.

The call letters of KCRI, KCRU, KCRY, and KDRW are identified at the top of each hour alongside those of KCRW, as are the frequencies of those stations and their transmitters.

KCRW also directly feeds three low-powertranslators, while other stations feed four additional translators.

KCRW also has applications pending for new translators on 88.5 inMojave, 89.9 in Temecula, 90.1 in Baker, 90.3 FM inBarstow, and 105.7 FM inJulian.^{[as of?]}

Previous translators (now off the air and licenses returned to the FCC) operated on 88.3 FM inPalmdale, 89.1 FM inCamarillo, 90.9 FM inPalm Springs, and 100.1 inChina Lake. Another former translator, K296AI, was the only KCRW translator not owned by the station. It is operated by Indian Wells Valley TV Booster, Inc., which also operates translators that rebroadcast Los Angeles–area television stations in theRidgecrest area. That translator currently rebroadcastsKMZT.

In February 2014, KCRW announced that it would buy Santa Barbara stationKDB (93.7 FM), currently a classical music station, for $1 million. The transaction will allow KCRW to begin using another Santa Barbara station,KQSC (88.7 FM) as a repeater for KCRW's programming, while transferringKUSC's classical programming from KQSC to KDB, thereby preserving KDB's role as Santa Barbara's classical station.^[60]

On September 13, 2017, partner station, KCRW Berlin, was awarded a broadcast license inBerlin,Germany, on 104.1 MHz. This license and frequency had previously been held byNPR Berlin. The station has a website atkcrwberlin.com.

KCRW Berlin ceased broadcasting on December 13, 2020, due to the economic disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.^[61]

• "The Business". RetrievedMarch 24, 2009.
• Jaime Wolf (June 26, 2005)."The Star Maker of the Semipopular".New York Times. RetrievedApril 26, 2008.
• "KCRW — A Tradition of Excellence".Santa Monica College, Profiles. 2002. Archived fromthe original on April 10, 2008. RetrievedApril 26, 2008.
• Variety (February 2009)."Masters Joins KCRW's The Business". Archived fromthe original on March 28, 2009. RetrievedMarch 31, 2009.

• Official website
  • Wayback Machine
  • KCRW Presents
• Facility details for Facility ID 59086 (KCRW) in theFCC Licensing and Management System
• KCRW inNielsen Audio's FM station database
• "History Cards for KCRW".Federal Communications Commission. (Guide to reading History Cards)
• Santa Monica College
• The Urban Man Commentaries on KCRW
• "KCRW".Stylus City. Archived fromthe original on October 22, 2007. RetrievedJuly 22, 2007.
• "KCRW". iGoogle Gadget.
• "Behind the scenes at KCRW".EPIC FU. June 24, 2008.
• FCC Public Inspection File contour map

• HD Radio stations
• KCRW
• Radio stations in Los Angeles
• NPR member stations
• College radio stations in California
• Mass media in Los Angeles County, California
• Santa Monica College
• Radio stations established in 1945
• 1945 establishments in California
• Organizations based in Santa Monica, California

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