91.7 San Ardo now part of KCBX; to be KNBX
At noon today the 91.7 MHz public radio facility that serves the Highway 101 corridor from King City south to Paso Robles (and communities west of there) passed from KUSP’s ownership to our colleagues to the south, at KCBX. KCBX now has three major transmitters: KSBX 89.5 in the Santa Barbara area; KCBX 90.1 for northern Santa Barbara County and most of San Luis Obispo County; and what will be (after the FCC approves a change in call letters) KNBX 91.7 north of that.
This change in ownership furthers the strategic plans of KUSP and KCBX, and has been under study by our stations for almost a year. For KCBX, the acquisition of the 91.7 frequency fills in areas of poor coverage in the northern part of their home county, San Luis Obispo, and adds coverage in more rural parts of southern Monterey County — a place that, culturally, has more in common with San Luis Obispo County than it does with the communities ringing Monterey Bay and the urbanized areas along 101 (from Salinas north to Silicon Valley), where almost all of KUSP’s audience lives and works.
For KUSP, this transition is a strategic move that accomplishes three important and interrelated goals.
First, it strengthens us in financial terms. That in turn makes it possible to keep moving forward in two critical programming areas — building a team to bring you the news and issues in our area that you care about, and building the capacity at kusp.org to get all our programming to our audience how they want, when they want, wherever they are.
In the past year KUSP has invigorated our news and information service, and you have responded. Our audience research indicates the station’s core audience — the number of people who depend on us more than any other station — is about 30% bigger than it was in early 2008, and as big or bigger than at any time in KUSP history. More people are tuning in more often, and stay with us longer. Audience size is not the only measure of how a public radio station serves its audience, but it’s significant.
And in the past year we have worked very hard to build kusp.org into a public media center that can carry our station and our values far into the future. The RadioEngage project, developed with our partners at Quiddities and supported by a generous grant from the Knight Foundation, is just about ready to go. We know that the choice and interactivity the Internet brings our community of listeners has changed, and will continue to change, our public radio world — profoundly and irreversibly.
Thirty-eight years ago, the people who started our station didn’t sit around and just pine for their own AM radio station — they went out and got an FM license, even though FM listening was only a tiny fraction of AM listening in 1971. They saw what the medium was capable of and moved to secure that capability for their community. We reap the rewards of their foresight around the clock, every day.
Now, we must do something nearly as bold. We need to strengthen the over-the-air service built on our founders’ foresight, and move — quickly — to build a great on-line service. If the world of public media moved more slowly, we might have chosen to wait until the economy had recovered, before charging ahead into the world of on-line listening and connectivity though mobile devices like the iPhone. But I think all of the professional and volunteer leaders at KUSP agree that it’s necessary for us to move assertively. This arrangement with KCBX is one step towards securing the substantial financial resources we need to go forward.
When KUSP put KBDH San Ardo on the air in 2001, we filled in one of the largest geographic gaps in public radio coverage in California. The transaction completed today maintains public radio service for everyone in or passing through the 91.7 signal area, something we felt was vital. And, having finished this particular transaction, we hope to explore future collaborations with KCBX in other ways that strengthen public radio in central California overall.
I wouldn’t leave this subject without thanking the hundreds of KUSP supporters in southern Monterey and northern SLO County who have listened and contributed to our station these past eight years. As Internet and mobile device technology improves (and this is happening at lightning speed) we’ll still be a listening option for many of you.
We hope that these changes benefit everyone in the long run. Indeed, we’re confident they will.
Dr. Sonja Glassmeyer said,
September 3, 2009 @ 11:37 am
I am VERY disappointed in this change as I can no longer receive KUSP and some of my favorite programming! We live in Lockwood and KUSP had become a part of our daily lives. We have tried, unsuccessfully, to get the station on other freg. but cannot, even with extra antennas.
KCBX is a good station, if only because we can now hear Garrison Kellor and because we used to live in SLO. What we don’t like is that, at least up until now, we are not interested in City Council meetings, etc.
Bring KUSP back to us – PLEASE!!
Liza Arredondo said,
September 5, 2009 @ 5:26 pm
The KCBX programming is BORING after the variety you guys offer. I wish this were a temporary thing. They don’t even have Weekend Edition until
8 am. I am up and ready to listen at 6 am. How can I get through the weekend without Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me or Amy Goodman promptly at 9am during the week? Listening at noon is impossible for me. Major Bummer.
Is there any hope for Paso residents?
Liza
Cal French said,
September 8, 2009 @ 10:43 am
We live in far northern SLO County and were able to receive both KCBX and KUSP. We could switch back and forth between them to get the programs we liked. We will miss “Ask Dr. Dawn,” “Monday Night at the Opera,” and the classical programing in the evenings. I suppose we could figure out how to stream KUSP into our stereo system.
Chris Shroyer said,
September 8, 2009 @ 11:04 pm
I am so disapointed. Liza is right KCBX programming is BORING with the exception of Democracy Now. I miss the whole morning and afternoon line up, I mean you can only listen to so much jazz and classical music. Please bring KUSP back to the north slo county
Joe Kidd said,
September 9, 2009 @ 5:06 pm
I live in Paso Robles and work between there and Hollister and KUSP was a huge part of my days. The programming on KCBX pales in comparison. Please reverse this horrible change!
Steve S. said,
September 9, 2009 @ 8:07 pm
I don’t like this change. I ALREADY get KCBX just fine, but enjoyed listening to the different programming, or just differently-timed shows on KUSP. All Things Considered doesn’t start until 5:00 on KCBX. So now I just listen to AM talk radio on the way home from work instead. I miss the Saturday programming also. I’m really bummed about this; but I guess it frees up a button on my car radio…
Heather R. said,
September 10, 2009 @ 8:25 pm
I, too, am disappointed by this change. I discovered KUSP only recently. Delighted by the range of intelligent talk shows offered, I quickly became a devoted listener. However, now that the transmitter in San Ardo has been sold to KCBX, there’s not much to stimulate the synapses, unless you happen to like jazz. (I don’t.) Best of luck to both stations, but I’ll be looking into other options.
Christopher Dunn said,
September 11, 2009 @ 4:46 pm
I am most upset that whilst driving on my work rounds that due to this change I have lost the quality & eclectic variety that KUSP offered. KCBX comes no where close to the quality of intellect that KUSP Radio offered !!
Talk about withdrawl symptoms !
So, I’m back to the Pig mostly now, though no complaints about that stations quality of content at all.
I miss my KUSP ! when out & about.
Thank god for Broad Band & the internet. Least I can get my KUSP fix when at home.
Mica Krieger said,
September 14, 2009 @ 5:36 pm
I, too am very disappointed with the change. I live in northern SLO county and have gotten very used to having two stations, though I listen(ed) to KUSP almost exclusively. I am a classical and jazz musician and love the music, but I really liked the availability of provocative, educational, and political shows. I wake very early and got used to starting my listening between 1 and 3 A.M., after switching from KGO 810 A.M. when Taliefero had really irritated me or was on a rampage. (Though I usually like him, too.) The availability of informative shows during times when people can listen is not so great now. KCBX is a terrific station, but we need more info and access to smart shows at useful times. I also listen in my car during my work day and now often switch to AirAmerica again.
Linda said,
October 2, 2009 @ 1:34 pm
My husband and I have listened to KCBX this month and while it has some good things, we are not as interested in it nor do we enjoy it as much as we did KUSP. I was intrigued to read the comments regarding this change that stated that the 101 corridor to King City has more in common with SLO County than Monterey. Honestly – our area is not a good match for either. SLO (the city) thinks of itself as quite different than its north county neighbor Paso Robles so how there is any thought that north of Paso is more like SLO County is illusive to me. And the King City/Lockwood area don’t exactly match the northern Monterey County profile. We’re really out here with no local station to truly cover local issues of interest to us. However KUSP tried. For example, last year KUSP did a great job of fire coverage that was more than of passing interest to those of us living in southern Monterey county. I doubt KCBX will do the same for us when those fires again occur in our area. I also have little interest in the SLO Board meetings but I did and do want to know what decisions are being made in Monterey county about land use. We are greatly impacted by those decisions – but will not have the benefit of the reports that were aired on KUSP.
We understand this is a money driven society and that for KUSP, there was not enough philanthropic or sponsorship money to justify keeping the San Ardo transmitter. Our concern is that if KCBX, does not realize increased income from our area, will also end up selling this transmitter.
The only slightly persuasive commentary I heard for supporting KCBX during its fund raising drive was that the San Ardo transmitter could have been sold to some other station than a public radio station. In our opinion, other than that point made in the recent fund raising appeal, we have little reason to support KCBX.
Dr Huw Morris said,
October 7, 2009 @ 8:24 am
I live in Paso Robles and could already get KCBX on 90.1. I went away on a long trip and came back to find that I can now get the same programming on 91.7! However KUSP, which has much more variety and interesting programming is not now available. That is a great disappointment. Please consider resending your signals to us here in Paso, where the choice of decent radio broadcasts is abysmal. KUSP was the major channel that I listened to in my car whilst driving, and having it on the internet doesn’t help.