| Frequency | 90.3MHz (HD Radio) |
|---|---|
| Programming | |
| Format | Public radio -News, Talk and Information |
| Subchannels | HD2:Classical "Classical 24" |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | August 1977; 47 years ago (1977-08) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 43591 |
| Class | B1 |
| ERP | 3,400watts |
| HAAT | 168 meters (551 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 36°33′09″N121°47′17″W / 36.55250°N 121.78806°W /36.55250; -121.78806 |
| Translator(s) | 89.5 K208GJ (Santa Cruz) 91.3 K217EK (Palo Colorado Canyon) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | kazu.org |
KAZU (90.3MHz) is anon-commercialFMradio stationlicensed toPacific Grove, California, and serving theMonterey Bay area of theCalifornia Coast. It is a listener-supportedpublic radio station with anews, talk and informationformat and is owned and operated by theCalifornia State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB). It is anetwork affiliate ofNational Public Radio (NPR) withradio studios and offices in Gavilan Hall on the campus of CSUMB.
KAZU has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 3,100watts. Thetransmitter is on Saddle Road inMonterey.[2] Programming is also heard onFM translators K208GJ 89.5 MHz inSanta Cruz and K217EK 91.3 MHz inPalo Colorado Canyon.
KAZU began broadcasting in August 1977 from an upstairs office in downtown Pacific Grove. The station was started as a localcommunity radio station, with a focus on the south Monterey Bay cities. The station operated with 10 watts, and had about 90 volunteers who ran the on-air operation; a small board of directors oversaw the fiscal and legal operations of the corporation that ownedKAZU was calledThe Great Silence Broadcasting Foundation.
Because of the low power, the reach was limited, so the station signal was added to the Monterey cable system in 1978. The transmitter was relocated to Hidden Hills, east ofMonterey in 1980, and coverage was expanded to reach the entireMonterey Bay area. Programming and volunteer participation expanded as well, and the station migrated to larger studios in the same building in the mid-1980s.
A fire at the studio in the late 1990s briefly putKAZU off the air. Temporary studios were quickly built and the station moved out of downtown Pacific Grove to Lighthouse Avenue in Pacific Grove. After a series of managers and program directors, the station struggled to survive high rents for the new studios and the old transmitter site. The locally produced music and talk programming remained popular with the community, but financial support did not grow sufficiently to cover the new expenses.
In the late 1990s, the fiscal situation worsened, and cuts to staff were made. A new manager was hired in 1998, and plans were made to change the station to anNPR/PRI affiliate and reduce volunteer programming.
The station was still unable to continue financially, so the board planned to give the station to an outside third-party non-profit. BothKUSP in Santa Cruz, andCal State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) offered to take overKAZU operations. The board choseCSUMB. Further programming changes were made and by 2002, all volunteers were removed from programming. In 2008, KAZU relocated from offices on Central Avenue in Pacific Grove to Gavilan Hall on the campus of CSUMB.
On April 5, 2017, CSUMB filed applications with theFederal Communications Commission to purchase the licenses of three FM translators: K207CN (Santa Cruz), K217EK (Palo Colorado Canyon) and K237EV (Big Sur Valley) owned byKUSP. The purchase price was $5,000. The applications were consummated on June 30, 2017 and July 7, 2017.