Wyoming Public Radio

Laramie, Wyoming
Broadcast area	State of Wyoming
Frequency	See§ Stations
Branding	Wyoming Public Radio
Programming
Format	Public radio
Affiliations	NPR,PRX,BBC
Ownership
Owner	University of Wyoming
History
First air date	September 14th, 1966
Call sign meaning	University ofWyomingRadio
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Class	See§ Stations
ERP	See§ Stations
HAAT	See§ Stations
Translator(s)	See§ Stations
Links
Public license information	Public Radio Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen live
Website	wyomingpublicmedia.org

Wyoming Public Radio (WPR) is the statewidepublic radio network inWyoming, and is licensed to theUniversity of Wyoming.

Although licensed to the university, the network does not produce student-derived programming. Twice a year, in the fall and in the spring, the station conducts pledge drives, which is where a majority of its budget comes from.From the UW campus inLaramie, the network produces local news and music programming, mostly consisting ofjazz,classical andadult album alternative music. The network also airs a variety ofsyndicated programs fromNational Public Radio,Public Radio Exchange,Native Voice One, andAmerican Public Media. Some NPR, PRX, and BBC World Service programming includesMorning Edition,All Things Considered,BBC World Service, and many others.

Wyoming Public Radio also produces Classical Wyoming, a 24-hour classical format. It is available as an analog radio service in Laramie, Rock Springs, and Lander. It is also available on HD-2 throughout the state. WPR is the only public radio network produced in Wyoming. Other public radio networks and stations (includingYellowstone Public Radio,KUER-FM,KUNC, andKUVO) also reach into parts of the state.

Wyoming Public Radio was founded in 1966, and the station's format is similar to that of many other American public radio stations. The station can trace its roots back to KFBU, Wyoming's first radio station, which broadcast from St. Matthew's Cathedral in Laramie. KFBU was put on air by Warner N. Crosby, an engineering student at theUniversity of Wyoming. He held a second-grade commercial license for radio, which, at the time, was required to broadcast. The station went on air with 10 watts on October 3, 1922. In 1923, the station was upgraded to 25 watts and more power later on. The station had a turbulent history but was often received at far distances.^[1]The equipment was donated to the university in 1929. On September 28, 1938, broadcasts from the university were picked up via wire to be aired across the NBC Radio Network.^[2]In 1957, the University's Engineering Department began "University Radio." On January 1, 1965,KTWO, Wyoming's oldest commercial radio station, donated a board to the university to use for on air broadcasts. The station's first affiliate, KUWR, received its license in 1966 and went on air for the fall semester. KUWR-FM broadcast from the student union.^[3]In 1966, then University President John King encouraged the station to be used for sports broadcasts.^[4]KUWR was Wyoming's secondFM radio station, and was initially 10 watts, on 91.5 MHz.^[5]The station moved to 91.9 and increased power to 50,000 watts in April 1977. It was at that time that the studios were moved to Knight Hall where they remain today.^[6]

In the late 1970s, KUWR began to pick up programming fromNational Public Radio, includingAll Things Considered. In the 1980s, network staples like Morning Edition andA Prairie Home Companion were added to the lineup. In the mid-1980s,translators of KUWR were put on air in Casper, andAspen, Colorado. Demand for the radio network began to grow statewide, along with construction permits for new stations. KUWR's translator in Casper was limited to 10 watts, and the signal was unreliable due to wind issues. It was thought that a state-wide network could be built in 10 years.^[7]

Wyoming Public Radio has continued to add stations to improve coverage throughout the state.

In September 2016, Wyoming Public Radio launched a fourth radio service named Wyoming Sounds. Wyoming Sounds is a rock-based format with emphasis on singer-songwriters and a wide variety of styles, including acoustic, folk, blues, soul, reggae, world, and Americana music. It is carried as an analog radio service in Laramie, Torrington, Lander, Riverton, and Worland. It is also available on HD-3 channels throughout the state. Its website is wyomingsounds.org.

The network celebrated its 55th year of broadcasting in 2021 with a slideshow of where the network started and how it grew.^[8]

Notes

Wyoming Public Media operates an adult album alternative network branded Wyoming Sounds.

Two of the transmitters in this network, KTWY and KXWY, were previously commercial licenses held by Cochise Broadcasting, which only broadcast periodically to maintain their licenses. In 2017, the FCC entered into a consent decree with Cochise by which it surrendered these stations, KWWY (in the Classical Wyoming network), and other stations for donation to other entities.^[9][10] KNWT operated independently from 2009 to 2017 as a service ofNorthwest College inPowell.

Three stations air their own programming, consisting mostly ofclassical music:

KUWL airs its own programming, consisting mostly ofjazz music:

Some of the affiliates are broadcasting digitally viaHD Radio, with a subchannel consisting of full-timeclassical music, mostly from theClassical 24 network.^[11]

• Wyoming Public Television

• Official website
• Facility details for Facility ID 69131 (KUWR) in theFCC Licensing and Management System
• KUWR inNielsen Audio's FM station database
• University of Wyoming
• Online Streaming - Main Service
• Online Streaming - Classical Wyoming
• Online Streaming - Jazz Wyoming

• Wyoming Public Radio
• HD Radio stations
• NPR member networks
• American radio networks
• 1966 establishments in Wyoming
• Radio stations established in 1966

• Webarchive template wayback links
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from January 2025
• Articles using infobox radio station
• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
• Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia