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| Broadcast area | Greater St. Louis |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 90.7MHz (HD Radio) |
| Programming | |
| Format | Public radio -News - Talk |
| Subchannels | |
| Affiliations | National Public Radio American Public Media Public Radio Exchange BBC World Service |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KMST,WQUB | |
| History | |
First air date | June 2, 1972; 53 years ago (1972-06-02) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 65585 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 100,000watts |
| HAAT | 289 meters (949 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 38°34′50″N90°19′45″W / 38.58056°N 90.32917°W /38.58056; -90.32917 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | stlpublicradio.org |
KWMU (90.7MHz) is anon-commercial, listener-supportedradio station inSt. Louis, Missouri. It airs apublic radioformat ofnews, talk and information, as amember station ofNational Public Radio (NPR). KWMU is operated by St. Louis Public Radio, with its license held by the Curators of theUniversity of Missouri System. The studios and offices are on Olive Street inGrand Center, near the campus ofSaint Louis University.
KWMU is aClass C1 station. It has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000watts, the maximum for most stations. Thetransmitter is on Trianon Parkway Drive inShrewsbury, sharing atower with other local FM and TV stations.[2] KWMU broadcasts usingHD Radio technology. Its HD2digital subchannel carries ajazz format as "Jazz KWMU-2" The HD3 subchannel playsclassical music as "Classical KWMU-3."
On weekdays, KWMU carries news and information programs from NPR and other public radio networks, includingMorning Edition,All Things Considered,Fresh Air,1A,Here and Now,Marketplace andThe World. The station produces a weekday one-hour show focusing on local news and interviews,St. Louis on the Air hosted by Elaine Cha. It airs at noon and is repeated at 7 p.m. Late nights, theBBC World Service is heard. Most hours also feature news briefs from the KWMU staff.
On weekends, specialty shows are featured, includingWait, Wait, Don't Tell Me,Radiolab,On The Media,The New Yorker Radio Hour,The TED Radio Hour,The Moth Radio Hour,Splendid Table,Reveal andThis American Life.
St. Louis Public Radio (STLPR) also broadcasts on 88.5KMST inRolla, Missouri, and 90.3WQUB inQuincy, Illinois. Periodic on-airfundraisers are broadcast.
KWMUsigned on the air on June 2, 1972; 53 years ago (1972-06-02). In its early years, KWMU broadcast from studios on Natural Bridge Road on the UMSL campus. The format was "Fine Arts and News."[3] The reference to fine arts includedclassical music,opera and other musical genres not found on commercial radio. KWMU also usedABC Radio News for audio clips during newscasts.
In 1983, it was the first radio station in St. Louis to play music fromcompact discs. A year later, it became the first radio station in the United States to broadcastAmbisonic programs.
In 1992, the station increased itseffective radiated power to 100,000 watts. In 1995, the station eliminated the remaining weekday music programs and moved to an all-news and talk format, except for a few specialty shows on weekend nights.
KWMU started usingHD Radio technology to broadcast in 2006. In the fall of 2008, the station added a second digital stream, KWMU-2 The Gateway (Now Jazz KWMU-2), on its second digital subcarrier. It also playsadult album alternative music,world music and other genres. In the spring of 2010, the station added a third digital subchannel, Classical 90.7 KWMU-3, a 24-hour classical music service. Both stream live on the Internet.
On September 10, 2009, KWMU rebranded asSt. Louis Public Radio (STLPR). Its website switched to a new address:stlpublicradio.org.
In September 2010, STLPR became the radio outlet for live broadcasts of theSt. Louis Symphony Orchestra. It airs Saturday night concerts fromPowell Symphony Hall.
In April 2011, STLPR broke ground on a state-of-the-art studio facility on Olive Street atGrand Center. The facility also houses academic space for UMSL. On June 18, 2012, STLPR moved from its longtime home on the first floor of Lucas Hall on the UMSL North campus inBellerive, to the new facility.[4]
On July 26, 2012, UMSL officially acquiredWQUB fromQuincy University. The station now serves as a semi-satellite of KWMU in theIllinois-Iowa-Missouri Tri-State Area.
Beginning July 1, 2017, UMSL also began broadcasting on 88.5KMST inRolla as a satellite of KWMU for south-central Missouri.
On February 10, 2025, St. Louis Public Radio announced UMSL will be transferring the licenses for KWMU, KMST, and WQUB to Friends of KWMU, Inc.[5]
St. Louis Public Radio's website states that its mission is "to inform and provide a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas and cultures for a more inspired and engaged public."[6] STLPR has more than 500,000 listeners in the St. Louis area.[7]
The station employs more than 30 journalists and has a total staff of over 70.[8] There are also scores of volunteers helping for special events.
The station receives its funding from private donations, corporate sponsors, local, regional and national grants, as well as the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
In Fiscal Year 2019, STLPR's revenue totaled $8,856,000.[9] Its sources were from:
Revenue from Community Support totaled $8,130,000. Its sources were from:
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