Northwest Public Broadcasting

Northwest Public Broadcasting is the public radio and public television service of Washington State University. It is an affiliate of National Public Radio, Public Radio Exchange and American Public Media. It operates 19 radio stations and 13 translators across Washington state, Oregon, and Idaho, and provides coverage to parts of British Columbia. The network broadcasts public radio news, talk, entertainment, classical music, jazz, and folk music. Station programming is separated into two main program streams, "NPR News" and "NPR & Classical Music", with simulcast periods during Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition and Weekend All Things Considered. Since November 2013, Northwest Public Broadcasting also operates a 24-hour jazz station, KJEM 89.9, broadcasting in the Pullman and Moscow area.

Northwest Public Broadcasting
TypePublic radio network
Country
United States
Programming
AffiliationsNational Public Radio
PBS
Ownership
OwnerWashington State University
History
FoundedMay 15, 1922 (1922-05-15)
Launch dateDecember 10, 1922 (1922-12-10)
Former names
Northwest Public Radio
Northwest Public Television
Coverage
Availability24 hours a day
Links
WebcastNPR News
NPR & Classical
Jazz
Websitenwpb.org

NWPB headquarters are in the Murrow College of Communications on the WSU campus, with satellite studios at WSU Tri-Cities' campus in Richland, the University of Idaho campus in Moscow, Idaho and studio offices in Tacoma and Wenatchee.

History

WSU has a long history in broadcasting, dating to 1908 when it was known as Washington State College. NWPB's flagship station, KWSU 1250 in Pullman signed on December 10, 1922 as KFAE and became KWSC (for Washington State College) in 1925. For many years, it served a large portion of the Pacific Northwest. It became KWSU on March 1, 1969, ten years after Washington State attained university status. Edward R. Murrow began his career at the station, as did Keith Jackson and Barry Serafin. KWSU was a charter member of NPR, and was one of the 90 stations that carried the inaugural broadcast of All Things Considered in 1971.

Expansion

In 1982, KFAE-FM 89.1 at Richland signed on, bringing public radio to the Tri-Cities for the first time. The next year, WSU activated a series of low-powered translators at Ellensburg, Goldendale/The Dalles, Yakima, Lewiston/Clarkston, Ephrata/Soap Lake, Wenatchee, Cashmere/Dryden, and Chelan/Waterville. In 1984, after budget cuts in Idaho, WSU assumed operation of KUID-FM 91.7 at the University of Idaho and renamed it KRFA-FM; this gave it its first FM service in the Pullman area and resulted in the new outlet assuming many of the classical programs on KWSU.

The launch of KNWR, a full-power transmitter at Ellensburg, in 1992 heralded the beginning of two decades of expansion. KNWY in the Yakima Valley went on air in 1993. In 1994, KNWO in Cottonwood, Idaho, was added; additionally, three new translators were commissioned and KRFA increased its power tenfold. KNWV went on air in Lewiston and Clarkston in 1995. 1997 brought KWWS in Walla Walla, and after a $500,000 donation from the estate of Ephrata rancher Paul Lauzier, KLWS at Moses Lake. Port Angeles—and Victoria, British Columbia—were added with the signing on of KNWP in 1998. KQWS at Omak began broadcasting in January 1999; the next year, a translator of KWSU was added in Pullman, giving the station its first FM presence. A translator at Forks was added in 2006. KSWS at Chehalis was built in 2010.[1]

In several cases, the university acquired or began broadcasting over preexisting public radio stations. On January 6, 1997, Northern Sound Public Radio's KZAZ-FM in Bellingham, was merged into the network as its first station west of the Cascades. The license for KMWS at Mount Vernon was acquired from Skagit Valley College, which moved its KSVR to a new license; the university chose the call letters to honor Murrow, a Skagit County native.

In 2010, KVTI in Tacoma, owned by Clover Park Technical College, began broadcasting Northwest Public Broadcasting full-time after budget cuts prompted the closure of its radio broadcasting program.[2] In 2012, the Yakima School District's KYVT began broadcasting NWPB's NPR News programming under an agreement in which the network provided the district's skills center and an HD2 subchannel for its student programming in exchange for studio space and a primary frequency for the news service, which had not been previously available in Yakima.[3]

On November 1, 2013, WSU launched a third station in Pullman: KJEM (89.9 FM), broadcasting jazz music 24 hours a day to the Pullman and Moscow area and named for J. Elroy McCaw.[4]

In 2018, Northwest Public Radio merged with Northwest Public Television to become Northwest Public Broadcasting.[5] NWPB broadcasts KWSU-TV from Kamiak Butte to serve the eastern Washington and western Idaho covering Pullman to Spokane. KTNW broadcasts from Richland and covers the Tri-cities area. KWSU-Broadcasts on channel 10. KTNW broadcasts on channel 31.

On April 19, 2022, the Sleeping Lady Foundation's KOHO-FM began broadcasting NWPB's Jazz programming based at KJEM under a programming and services agreement, bringing NWPB's Jazz network to Central Washington for the first time. [6]

Stations

With one exception, NWPB's transmitters are structured into two services: an NPR news/talk service based on KWSU, and a combined NPR and classical music service based on KRFA.

NPR News

Call sign Frequency City of license Facility
ID
HAAT Class Transmitter coordinates FCC info
KLWS 91.5 FMMoses Lake, Washington710437,200209 m (686 ft)C247°18′49.5″N 119°34′59.1″WLMS
KMWS 89.7 FMMount Vernon, Washington605311,50040.74 m (134 ft)A48°32′29.4″N 122°17′47.6″WLMS
KQWS 90.1 FMOmak, Washington811643,000743.12 m (2,438 ft)C148°44′36.5″N 119°37′20.2″WLMS
KSWS 88.9 FM (HD)Chehalis, Washington811621,000321.35 m (1,054 ft)C346°33′15.4″N 123°3′30.5″WLMS
KWSU 1250 AMPullman, Washington710255,000 (day)
2,500 (night)
B46°41′45.19″N 117°14′49.23″WLMS
KWWS 89.7 FMWalla Walla, Washington7104416,000403.25 m (1,323 ft)C145°59′3.8″N 118°10′13.3″WLMS
KYVT 88.5 FMYakima, Washington74320135260.61 m (855 ft)A46°31′56.5″N 120°30′47.6″WLMS
Broadcast translators for NPR News
Call signFrequencyCity of licenseFIDERP (W)HAATClassTransmitter coordinatesFCC info
K210DK 89.9 FMEllensburg, Washington7103591374.07 m (1,227 ft)D46°53′14.4″N 120°26′32.2″WLMS
K212FK 90.3 FMWenatchee, Washington7103750774.44 m (2,541 ft)D47°32′59.4″N 120°22′14.2″WLMS
K216GE 91.1 FMForks, Washington138015130−2.6 m (−9 ft)D47°55′59.2″N 124°23′45.7″WLMS
K217AJ 91.3 FMLeavenworth, Washington71017100−55.46 m (−182 ft)D47°36′59.4″N 120°40′42.3″WLMS
K217GA 91.3 FMClarkston, Washington7102665302.71 m (993 ft)D46°27′25.5″N 117°6′3.5″WLMS
K227BW 93.3 FMPullman, Washington71040500276.93 m (909 ft)D46°40′53.6″N 116°58′16.6″WLMS
K248CN 97.5 FMAriel, Washington142354155271.18 m (890 ft)D46°9′49.3″N 122°51′13.4″WLMS
K259CY 99.7 FMBellingham, Washington13807934113.66 m (373 ft)D48°48′3.4″N 122°27′44.6″WLMS
K284BL 104.7 FMBellingham, Washington138227120278.51 m (914 ft)D48°46′56.4″N 122°22′9.6″WLMS

NPR and Classical Music

Call sign Frequency City of license Facility
ID
HAAT Class Transmitter coordinates FCC info
KFAE-FM 89.1 FMRichland, WA71022100,000335.62 m (1,101 ft)C46°5′42.5″N 119°11′45.0″WLMS
KHNW 88.3 FMManson, WA172300340180.88 m (593 ft)A47°51′15.4″N 120°10′3.2″WLMS
KNWO 90.1 FMCottonwood, ID71018250599.82 m (1,968 ft)C346°4′8.5″N 116°27′57.5″WLMS
KNWP 90.1 FMPort Angeles, WA811611,600210.46 m (690 ft)A48°9′2.3″N 123°40′13.7″WLMS
KNWR 90.7 FMEllensburg, WA710285,000780.98 m (2,562 ft)C147°15′47.4″N 120°23′35.2″WLMS
KNWU 91.5 FMForks, WA1729051708.7 m (29 ft)A47°55′59.2″N 124°23′45.7″WLMS
KNWV 90.5 FMClarkston, WA71042350334.72 m (1,098 ft)A46°27′25.5″N 117°6′3.5″WLMS
KNWY 90.3 FMYakima, WA710311,900258.36 m (848 ft) C346°31′56.5″N 120°30′46.2″WLMS
KRFA-FM 91.7 FM (HD)Moscow, ID7101628,000−840.07 m (−2,756 ft)C146°40′53.6″N 116°58′16.6″WLMS
KVTI 90.9 FMTacoma, WA1206851,000109.33 m (359 ft)C147°9′38.0″N 122°34′39.0″WLMS
KZAZ 91.7 FM (HD)Bellingham, WA4959912097.5 m (320 ft)A48°48′3.3″N 122°27′44.6″WLMS
Broadcast translators for NPR and Classical Music
Call signFrequencyCity of licenseFIDERP (W)HAATClassTransmitter coordinatesFCC info
K213DU 90.5 FM71021155501.01 m (1,644 ft)D45°42′24.4″N 121°5′32.2″WLMS
K226AK 93.1 FMEphrata, Washington7102741153.14 m (502 ft)D47°18′49.5″N 119°34′59.1″WLMS
K265DX 100.9 FMEnterprise, Oregon13849710560.18 m (1,838 ft)D45°23′57.5″N 117°23′19.6″WLMS
K272DO 102.3 FMOrofino, Idaho7102937219.72 m (721 ft)D46°30′28.6″N 116°13′10.5″WLMS
K274BK 102.7 FMKamiah, Idaho7103419191.88 m (630 ft)D46°10′16.6″N 116°2′18.5″WLMS

KFAE-FM also broadcast the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library's Evergreen Radio Reading Service to blind and handicapped listeners on its 67kHz subcarrier until the service's closure on August 15, 2014.[7] KFAE-FM was one of three major FM stations in Washington to do so; KPBX-FM in Spokane and KUOW-FM in Seattle were the others. However, this required a special FM radio capable of receiving such broadcasts; it could not be received on a standard FM radio.

Jazz

KJEM (89.9 FM), is NWPB's flagship jazz service. It broadcasts jazz music 24 hours a day to the Pullman and Moscow area and named for J. Elroy McCaw. Unlike the rest of the network, KJEM is largely student-run.[4] In 2022, NWPB acquired KOHO-FM and began broadcasting NWPB's jazz programing to the Wenatchee Valley area.

Call sign Frequency City of license Facility
ID
HAAT Class Transmitter coordinates FCC info
KJEM 89.9 FMPullman, WA1716132,300167.14 m (548 ft)A46°41′46.6″N 117°14′47.6″WLMS
KOHO-FM 101.1 FMLeavenworth, WA47072930645.36 m (2,117 ft)C247°36′6.4″N 120°30′36.3″WLMS

See also

  • KWSU-TV and KTNW, associated television stations in Pullman and Richland

References

  1. "NWPR Announces Second Expansion in a Month". Washington State University. July 13, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  2. "NWPR to manage college radio station in Lakewood". Washington State University. April 6, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  3. "Yakima School District and NWPR partner to offer NPR News". Washington State University. July 30, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  4. "WSU's Murrow College Launches New Jazz Station 89.9 KJEM". November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  5. "100". Northwest Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  6. "KOHO-FM To Join NWPB's Jazz Network". RadioInsight. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  7. "Evergreen Radio Reading Service Ending". www.wtbbl.org. Archived from the original on 7 January 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
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