KUOW-FM
Encyclopedia
KUOW-FM 94.9 is a National Public Radio affiliate
radio station
in Seattle
, Washington. It is a top-ranked radio station in the Seattle/Tacoma
media market
. It is a service of the University of Washington
.
KUOW went on the air in 1952 on 90.5 FM. Its transmitter was on the University of Washington campus atop the Administration Building, now Gerberding Hall. In 1958, Dorothy Stimson Bullitt moved KING FM to 98.1 and gifted KING's 94.9 FM transmitter and antenna to the Edison Vocational School. That same year, KUOW started using the 94.9 FM transmitter operated by Edison. KUOW is one of the few public radio (or any non-commercial educational
) stations on a commercial frequency outside of the reserved band. For years, it served as a training ground for UW students to learn about broadcasting. Programming consisted of classical music, classroom lecture
s, local news, and Washington Huskies
sports.
In the 1960s, however, KUOW began branching out, adding more news programming. It was a charter member of NPR in 1970. In 1992, it changed format from music to news and information, and in 1999 it moved off campus to its current location on University Way.
KUOW broadcasts from Capitol Hill
in Seattle with a power (ERP
) of 100 kW. The studios are located in Seattle's University District
. The station is heard in the Puget Sound
region on KUOW FM 94.9, in Bellingham
on KQOW FM 90.3, in Olympia
on KUOW AM 1340 (Tumwater
being its actual city of license
), and on the Internet at http://www.kuow.org.
KUOW discontinued traffic reports during its broadcasts of Morning Edition
and All Things Considered
starting May 9, 2008.
KUOW discontinued Cliff Mass' weather and science segment during its Friday broadcasts of "Weekday" starting May 20, 2011, a decision that prompted an online petition opposing KUOW's decision. The petition gained more than 4,000 supporters in the days following the announcement.
KUOW also broadcasts the Washington Talking Book and Braille
Library's Evergreen Radio Reading Service
to blind and handicapped listeners on its 67kHz
subcarrier
. KUOW is one of three major FM stations in Washington to do so; KPBX-FM in Spokane and KFAE-FM
in Yakima are the others. However, this requires a special FM radio capable of receiving such broadcasts; it cannot be received on a standard FM radio.
Network affiliate
In the broadcasting industry , a network affiliate is a local broadcaster which carries some or all of the television program or radio program line-up of a television or radio network, but is owned by a company other than the owner of the network...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
in Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, Washington. It is a top-ranked radio station in the Seattle/Tacoma
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
media market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
. It is a service of the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
.
About KUOW
KUOW's site states its mission as, "to create and serve an informed public, one challenged and invigorated by an understanding and appreciation of events, ideas, and cultures."KUOW went on the air in 1952 on 90.5 FM. Its transmitter was on the University of Washington campus atop the Administration Building, now Gerberding Hall. In 1958, Dorothy Stimson Bullitt moved KING FM to 98.1 and gifted KING's 94.9 FM transmitter and antenna to the Edison Vocational School. That same year, KUOW started using the 94.9 FM transmitter operated by Edison. KUOW is one of the few public radio (or any non-commercial educational
Non-commercial educational
The term non-commercial educational applies to a radio station or TV station that does not accept on air advertisements , as defined in the United States by the Federal Communications Commission . NCE stations do not pay broadcast license fees for their non-profit uses of the radio spectrum...
) stations on a commercial frequency outside of the reserved band. For years, it served as a training ground for UW students to learn about broadcasting. Programming consisted of classical music, classroom lecture
Lecture
thumb|A lecture on [[linear algebra]] at the [[Helsinki University of Technology]]A lecture is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical information, history,...
s, local news, and Washington Huskies
Washington Huskies
Washington Huskies is the nickname of the University of Washington's athletic teams. The school is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The athletic program is made up of 9 men's sports and 10 women's sports Washington Huskies is the nickname of the University of Washington's athletic teams. The...
sports.
In the 1960s, however, KUOW began branching out, adding more news programming. It was a charter member of NPR in 1970. In 1992, it changed format from music to news and information, and in 1999 it moved off campus to its current location on University Way.
KUOW broadcasts from Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill, Seattle, Washington
Capitol Hill is the most densely populated residential district in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the center of the city's gay and counterculture communities, and is one of the city's most prominent nightlife and entertainment districts....
in Seattle with a power (ERP
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
) of 100 kW. The studios are located in Seattle's University District
University District, Seattle, Washington
The University District is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, so named because the main campus of the University of Washington is located there. The UW moved in two years after the area was annexed to Seattle, while much of the area was still clear cut forest or stump farmland...
. The station is heard in the Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
region on KUOW FM 94.9, in Bellingham
Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...
on KQOW FM 90.3, in Olympia
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
on KUOW AM 1340 (Tumwater
Tumwater, Washington
Tumwater is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. It lies near where the Deschutes River enters Budd Inlet, the southernmost point of Puget Sound. The population was 17,371 at the 2010 census...
being its actual city of license
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
), and on the Internet at http://www.kuow.org.
KUOW discontinued traffic reports during its broadcasts of Morning Edition
Morning Edition
Morning Edition is an American radio news program produced and distributed by National Public Radio . It airs weekday mornings and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 05:00 to 09:00 ET, with feeds and updates as required until noon...
and All Things Considered
All Things Considered
All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
starting May 9, 2008.
KUOW discontinued Cliff Mass' weather and science segment during its Friday broadcasts of "Weekday" starting May 20, 2011, a decision that prompted an online petition opposing KUOW's decision. The petition gained more than 4,000 supporters in the days following the announcement.
Audience
KUOW's 2008 annual report states that the station served an average of 375,800 listeners each week in fiscal year 2008. These listeners averaged eight and a quarter hours of listening per week to total more than 3 million weekly listener hours. In the same year, KUOW ranked second among all radio stations in the Seattle Metro market, with a 4.8% share of the market's radio audience.Finances
KUOW's 2010 (fiscal year) direct support (money received) totaled $10,134,882. Its sources were:- 60% individuals
- 29% corporate
- 9% government (largely the Corporation for Public BroadcastingCorporation for Public BroadcastingThe Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress, funded by the United States’ federal government to promote public broadcasting...
and the University of WashingtonUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
) - 2% other
Programs
KUOW produces several programs, most of which are concerned with local news and events:- The Conversation – Hosted by Ross Reynolds, The Conversation is a call-in program that covers news-oriented and other topics.
- KUOW Presents – Megan Sukys is the managing editor. KUOW Presents airs local and national program specials.
- Speaker's Forum – Speaker's Forum airs speeches and presentations from a wide variety of specialties.
- The Swing Years and Beyond – Hosted by Amanda Wilde, The Swing Years and Beyond airs American music from the 1920s through the 1950s.
- Weekday – Hosted by Steve Scher, Weekday is an interview/call-in talk show that covers various topics usually related to local and national news.
KUOW also broadcasts the Washington Talking Book and Braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
Library's Evergreen Radio Reading Service
Radio reading service
A radio reading service or reading service for the blind is a service of many universities, community groups and public radio stations, where a narrator reads books, newspapers and magazines aloud for the benefit of the blind and vision-impaired. It is most often carried on a subcarrier, with...
to blind and handicapped listeners on its 67kHz
Subsidiary Communications Authority
Subsidiary Communications Authorization in the United States, and Subsidiary Communications Multiplex Operation in Canada, is a subcarrier on a radio station, allowing the station to broadcast additional services as part of its signal.-Background:"Subsidiary Communications Authorization" is the...
subcarrier
Subcarrier
A subcarrier is a separate analog or digital signal carried on a main radio transmission, which carries extra information such as voice or data. More technically, it is an already-modulated signal, which is then modulated into another signal of higher frequency and bandwidth...
. KUOW is one of three major FM stations in Washington to do so; KPBX-FM in Spokane and KFAE-FM
KFAE-FM
KFAE is a radio station licensed to Richland, Washington. The station is owned by Washington State University, and airs Northwest Public Radio's news and talk and classical musicprogramming.-External links:*...
in Yakima are the others. However, this requires a special FM radio capable of receiving such broadcasts; it cannot be received on a standard FM radio.
KUOW alumni
- Luke BurbankLuke BurbankLuke Burbank is an American podcaster who currently hosts the Seattle-based former radio program and current podcast Too Beautiful to Live....
: Host of Too Beautiful To Live - Cynthia Doyon: deceased
- Juris Jansons: General Manager KASBKASBKASB is a high school radio station broadcasting a Freeform radio format and provides high school student oriented music and news. Licensed to Bellevue, Washington, USA, it serves the Bellevue area. The station is currently owned by Bellevue School District #405....
radio - John MoeJohn MoeJohn Moe is an American writer and reporter. He became the host of American Public Media's Future Tense as of the May 3rd, 2010 Podcast/Broadcast...
: Host of Marketplace Tech Report - Bill RadkeBill RadkeBill Radke is an American radio talk show host, web video host, author, comedian and columnist. As of November 1, 2010 he started hosting Seattle's Morning News on KIRO-FM 97.3 with Linda Thomas in the 5AM to 9AM PST time slot. Previously he had been hosting American Public Media’s Marketplace...
: Co-host of KIRO's Seattle's Morning News - Dana Davis Rehm: NPR Senior Vice President, Strategy & Partnerships
- Robert SmithRobert Smith (journalist)Robert Smith is a correspondent for National Public Radio based in New York City.Originally based in Seattle, Washington, he has been reporting for NPR since 1994. He got his start working at his high school radio station in Park City, Utah. He then worked at community radio station KBOO after...
: NPR Correspondent, National Desk, New York - Ken Vincent: Anchor/Reporter at RR Broadcasting, Palm Springs.