| Simulcasts KCRW, Santa Monica | |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties |
| Frequency | 88.7 MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | KCRW Santa Barbara |
| Programming | |
| Format | Public radio (News, Talk, Specialty Music) |
| Affiliations | National Public Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Santa Monica Community College District |
| History | |
First air date | January 1985 (as KSCA) |
Former call signs | KSCA (1982–1989) KFAC (1989–2004) KQSC (2004–2014) KDRW-FM (2014) |
Call sign meaning | Disambiguation of parent station KCRW |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 69085 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 12,000 watts |
| HAAT | 264 meters (866 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 34°27′55″N 119°40′42″W / 34.46528°N 119.67833°W |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | kcrw.com |
KDRW (88.7 MHz) is a non-commercial FM radio station that is licensed to Santa Barbara, California. The station is owned by Santa Monica College and mostly simulcasts KCRW and its public radio format, a mix of news, talk and specialty music programs, some produced by KCRW and some from NPR. However, KDRW also originates some programming locally from its studios on the campus of Antioch University Santa Barbara.
KDRW has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 12,000 watts, using HD Radio technology.[1] The transmitter is off Gibraltar Road in Santa Barbara, amid the towers for other local FM and TV stations.[2]
In January 1985, the station signed on as KSCA. Owned by the University of Southern California (USC), the non-commercial KSCA broadcast classical music programming as a simulcast of KUSC.[3] The call letters changed to KFAC in 1991,[4] then to KQSC in 2004.[5]
In February 2014, public radio station KCRW, based in Santa Monica, California, purchased Santa Barbara classical station KDB for $1 million. The acquisition allowed KCRW to extend its reach into the Santa Barbara area. With the Santa Barbara market facing the possible elimination of classical radio programming, USC purchased KDB and that station began relaying KUSC's programming.[6] Upon closing the transaction on August 27, 2014 — a deal which also saw KQSC going to KCRW — KQSC changed its call sign to KDRW-FM and began simulcasting KCRW. The station's call letters changed again on October 1, 2014, to simply KDRW.
Unlike a typical repeater station that simply rebroadcasts its parent station's programming, KDRW offers some locally originated programming. The station's Santa Barbara studios are located on the campus of Antioch University Santa Barbara. Local news reports are made in cooperation with the Santa Barbara Independent weekly newspaper and a local nonprofit organization specializing in investigative journalism.[6]