KCRW

Infobox Radio station
name = KCRW


city = Santa Monica, California
area = Southern California
Greater Los Angeles Area
slogan =
branding =
frequency = 89.9 MHz HD Radio
repeater = 90.9 (Beaumont)
89.7 (Gorman)
89.9 (Lemon Grove)
90.7 (Twentynine Palms)
airdate =
share = 2.0
share as of = FALL 2007
share source = RRC [cite news | first= | last= | title=Santa Barbara CA Market Ratings | url= | publisher=Arbitron | work =Radio Research Consortium | url = http://www.rrconline.org/arbitron | date = FALL 2007 ]
format = Public Radio
power =
erp = 6,900 watts
haat = 338 meters
class = B
facility_id = 59086
coordinates = coord|34|7|8|N|118|23|30|W|region:US_type:city
callsign_meaning = College Radio Workshop [ cite web|url=http://www.oldradio.com/archives/nelson/origins.call-list.html |title=Call Letter Origins |work=Radio History on the Web ]
former_callsigns =
owner = Santa Monica Community College District
licensee =
sister_stations =
webcast =
website = [http://www.kcrw.com/ www.kcrw.com]
affiliations =

KCRW (89.9 MHz FM) is a public radio station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, carrying a mixed NPR news, talk radio and freeform music format. A network of repeaters and broadcast translators allows the station to serve the Los Angeles metropolitan area and other communities in Southern California. The station has also become widely known because of nationally distributed programming, streaming Internet radio broadcasts, and podcasts.

KCRW is known for broadcast of cutting edge music, as well as originating numerous news-talk-information and cultural programs that are distributed nationwide.

History

KCRW was founded as the College Radio Workshop in 1945 to train servicemen returning from World War II in broadcasting. Ruth Hirschman Seymour became general manager in 1978 and developed a mix of music, news, and other spoken-word programming that now attracts over 500,000 listeners each week. The station airs programs from NPR, Public Radio International (PRI), American Public Media, and the BBC, along with its own mixture of eclectic music shows with frequent live in-studio performances by new and emerging talent, cultural programs, and a wide-ranging line up of local commentators, political analysis and debate. The station has been a leader in adopting new technologies, including KCRW.com, which offers three program streams, on-demand listening and an extensive lineup of podcasts, featuring talk programs and live performances by unsigned independent musical artists.

Programming

News and information programs dominate weekday early morning and daytime schedules from 03:00 to 09:00 PST with NPR's "Morning Edition", and from 12:00 to 7:30 PST ending with "Which Way, L.A.?". Music programming is broadcast from evening to early morning, and again form 09:00 to 12:00 PST with the airing of "Morning Becomes Eclectic". Weekends feature more music during the day and evening.

Warren Olney hosts the station's signature news and public affairs programs, "To the Point" (nationally distributed by Public Radio International) and "Which Way, L.A.?" which began after the riots in response to the Rodney King beating trial verdicts in 1992. However, unlike crosstown rival KPCC, KCRW does not have a news department or field reporters. Headlines and traffic reports are delivered by an announcer at the studio. KCRW generally runs the NPR news magazines in its entirety, and does not provide long-form coverage of news events like KPCC.

With California being, perhaps, the epicenter of the international film industry, KCRW covers the industry on several dimensions: film critic matters Joe Morgenstern reviewing films, business matters Claude Brodesser-Akner getting past the headlines and digging deep into the deals and deal-makers with "The Business", creative art matters Elvis Mitchell getting past the cover page and deep into "The Treatment" with the creative talent and finally the on-set matters Rob Long looks behind the curtain with his behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood life on "Martini Shot".

Music programs feature a wide variety of music but daytime music shows such as "Morning Becomes Eclectic" and "Weekend Becomes Eclectic" tend toward what is generally described in America as adult album alternative with a greater emphasis on the advance edge of new and independent artists. For example, classical or jazz music is rarely played except as an interstitial. At night, more upbeat music such as house, progressive, and electronic dance music are the main styles on shows such as "Metropolis" and "Nocturna". Some music programs, such as "Chocolate City", specifically focus on certain genres of music. Other shows, such as "New Ground", have a broader scope.

Local and regional touring artists can send recordings to KCRW to get airplay. Followups should be made by calling the KCRW tracking line on Wednesdays between noon and 3pm Pacific time.

KCRW airs Santa Monica City Council meetings live from 8:00 pm to midnight PST, on the Tuesdays 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). The KCRW show "Good Food" was parodied on Saturday Night Live in a recurring skit, "The Delicious Dish", with Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon.

Influence

Nic Harcourt, host of "Morning Becomes Eclectic" and "Sounds Eclectic", is well-known among many public radio fans, and has been the station's music director since 1998. He is also previously known in his home country for discussing on a regular basis emerging music with hosts at BBC Radio 1.

Along with WFMU in the New York City market, KCRW claims to be one of the most influential independent music radio stations around the globe, often referring to themselves as the "tastemaker for the world". Harcourt particularly touts his clout in the music industry, often pointing out that many music executives listen to Morning Becomes Eclectic whilst stuck in Los Angeles' infamous morning traffic. Both he and KCRW often credit themselves as being the premier gatekeepers for new breaking emerging artists. KCRW has introduced its audience to many artists, including Radiohead, Coldplay, Dido, Sublime, Peter Gabriel, and Norah Jones. In addition to playing previously unknown artists on his radio show, Harcourt invites artists to visit the Santa Monica KCRW station for in-studio recording sessions and interviews, typically before they've had any exposure to the US listening audience. Often Harcourt will have the artists return for a second in-studio performance to follow up on their growing popularity and success. Harcourt's skills as a music "A and R man" are evidenced by the numerous bands who were totally unknown in the US until they've been featured on KCRW. KCRW and Harcourt also help nurture the careers of emerging bands and musicians by inviting them to perform at live events and benefit concerts in Los Angeles.

Streaming media is now very important for the station, and it has gained a wide audience from this technology, streaming 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 in RealAudio, Windows Media Audio, and MP3 formats are available. The station also archives its talk and music programs for listeners to stream at their convenience, and offers podcasts of in-studio performances and talk programs.

From 1986 to 2002 KCRW was the on-air home of Joe Frank, hosting his ground-breaking shows "Work in Progress", "In The Dark", "Somewhere Out There", and "The Other Side". Joe Frank produced over 200 radio shows for KCRW, which consisted of a series of monologues full of ironic, humorous and absurdist wit.

KCRW boasts members across the country and the station regularly sponsors live music events throughout the United States and in Canada. Giveaways to areas outside of the station's listening area are commonly found on its website.

Events

KCRW promotes a great deal of live music events nationally, featuring both established and emerging artists. In July 2007, KCRW and Vacancy Records presented the first annual Clean Air Clear Stars Global Cooling Festival in Pioneertown, California featuring Entrance, Spindrift, Sky Parade and Xu Xu Fang.

Translators

In addition to the main station, KCRW is relayed by an additional four translators to widen its broadcast area.RadioTranslators
call1 = K215BA
watts1 = 10
class1 = D
freq1 = 90.9
city1 = Beaumont, California
call2 = K209CN
watts2 = 10
class2 = D
freq2 = 89.7
city2 = Gorman, California
call3 = K210CL
watts3 = 1
class3 = D
freq3 = 89.9
city3 = Lemon Grove, California
call4 = K214CR
watts4 = 10
class4 = D
freq4 = 90.7
city4 = Twentynine Palms, California

Transmitter network

† As of July 2005, KCRW has an application to upgrade K210CL to 10 watts ERP. The call letters of KCRI, KCRU and KCRY are identified at the top of each hour alongside those of KCRW, as are the frequencies of those stations and their transmitters.

References

*cite news | author=Jaime Wolf | title=The Star Maker of the Semipopular | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/26/magazine/26HARCOURT.html | work=New York Times | date=26 June 2005 | accessdate=2008-04-26
*cite news | author= | title=KCRW — A Tradition of Excellence | url=http://www.smc.edu/schedules/archives/profiles/2002/022/coverstory_022.htm | work=Santa Monica College, Profiles | date=2002 | accessdate=2008-04-26

External links

* [http://www.kcrw.com/ KCRW Radio official website]
*FM station data|KCRW
* [http://www.smc.edu/ Santa Monica College]
* [http://legacy.kcrw.com/presents/ KCRW Presents]
* [http://www.theurbanman.com/ "The Urban Man Commentaries on KCRW"]
* [http://www.styluscity.org/KCRW/ KCRW's page on StylusCity]
* [http://www.google.com/ig/directory?q=kcrw&hl=en&root=%2Fig&dpos=top&url=Dilshod.googlepages.com/kcrw_music_now_playing.xml KCRW music iGoogle Gadget]
* [http://epicfu.com/2008/06/sporn-banned-from-the-internet.html Behind the scenes at KCRW by EPIC FU] , weekly web show that covers online pop culture (June 24, 2008)