KCLU-FM
KCLU-FM
Radio station in Thousand Oaks, California
KCLU-FM (88.3 FM) is a non-commercial radio station that is licensed to Thousand Oaks, California and serves Ventura County. The station, owned by California Lutheran University, is a member of NPR and airs local news, weather forecasts, and traffic conditions as well as a wide variety of public radio programming for California's South Coast of California and Central Coast of California, through additional signals listed below.
| Broadcast area | Ventura County, California |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 88.3 MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | KCLU |
| Programming | |
| Format | Public radio |
| Affiliations | NPR |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | California Lutheran University |
| History | |
First air date | October 20, 1994 |
Call sign meaning | California Lutheran University |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 8220 |
| Class | B1 |
| ERP | 3,200 watts |
| HAAT | 158 meters (518 ft) |
| Repeater(s) | See § Stations |
| Links | |
| Webcast | kclustream |
| Website | kclu.org |
The station has won more than 200 journalism awards for its local news coverage, including a national Edward R. Murrow Award, and four national Society of Professional Journalists Awards for its news coverage.
KCLU-FM first signed on October 20, 1994 and originally broadcast a mix of news/talk and jazz programming.[3] By the late 2000s, the station reduced its jazz programming and aired news/talk around the clock.[4]
On June 19, 2008, California Lutheran University (CLU) purchased KIST (1340 AM) in Santa Barbara, California from R & R Radio, LLC for $1.44 million.[5][6][7] On October 7, the university converted the station to non-commercial educational status and changed its call letters to KCLU.
In January 2013, CLU purchased KHFR in Santa Maria, California and its translator K209CE in San Luis Obispo from Family Radio for $450,000. The sale closed that May, and KHFR's call sign was changed to KCLM. The station began simulcasting KCLU-FM after repairs were completed.[8][9]
As an NPR member station, KCLU-FM broadcasts a wide variety of public radio programming. KCLU airs the NPR shows Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!, Here and Now and Fresh Air with Terry Gross. Other programs include The World from Public Radio Exchange (PRX), This American Life, and the BBC World Service. The station previously broadcast Car Talk prior to its cancellation.
KCLU-FM's network of repeater and translator stations extends its reach across California's Central Coast as far north as San Luis Obispo County.
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | Facility ID |
|---|---|---|---|
| KCLU | 1340 AM | Santa Barbara, California | 10327 |
| KCLM | 89.7 FM | Santa Maria, California | 87300 |
Those stations feed the following translators:
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | FCC info | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K221FV | 92.1 FM | San Luis Obispo, California | 81483 | LMS | Relays KCLM |
| K272DT | 102.3 FM | Santa Barbara, California | 84008 | LMS | Relays KCLU |
KCLU has won more than 70 RTNA Golden Mike Awards, 25 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards, and 50 APTRA Awards since 2001.
| Year | Awards | Category | Recipient | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Associated Press Television and Radio Association (APTRA) | Best Public Service – Radio Class II | Lance Orozco, "The Thomas Fire" | Won | [10] |
| Best Sports Feature Story — Radio Class II | Lance Orozco, "LA Has Rams, Chargers, But Ventura County has Dallas Cowboys" | Won | [10] | ||
| Best Use Of Sound — Radio Class II | Lance Orozco, "It's Fried Fun with Food at the Ventura County Fair" | Won | [10] | ||
| Debra Greene, "Music Helps Dementia Patients" | Won (second place) | ||||
| Best Feature — Radio Class II | Lance Orozco, "Ant Dog" | Won (second place) | |||
| Outstanding Radio News Operation — Radio Class II | Won (second place) | ||||
| RTDNA Regional Edward R. Murrow Award — Region 2 | Continuing Coverage — Small Market | Lance Orozco, "The Monster Inferno" | Won | [11] | |
| Feature Reporting — Small Market | Debra Greene, "They May Be Preschoolers, But They're Learning Science Through Unique Gardening Class On South Coast" | Won | [11] | ||
| Hard News — Small Market | Lance Orozco, "Ventura County Mother Who Lost Son To Drug Overdose Tells Story To Spotlight Opioid Abuse" | Won | [11] |
- "Station Search Details: KCLU-FM". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- "HD Radio station guide for Los Angeles, CA". Archived from the original on 2017-01-28. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
- "Directory of Radio Stations in the U.S." (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook. R.R. Bowker. 1997. p. B-65. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
- "Directory of Radio Stations in the United States" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook. R.R. Bowker. 2009. p. D-108. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- "Media 8-7". Santa Barbara Independent. August 7, 2008. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
- "Media 8-14". Santa Barbara Independent. August 14, 2008. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
- "College Buys KIST-A/Santa Barbara". All Access. All Access Music Group. June 19, 2008. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- "Sold: Colorado FM, Pennsylvania AM, Upstate NY, Indiana Clusters". All Access. All Access Music Group. May 7, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- "KCLU buys Santa Maria station". Pacific Coast Business Times. May 13, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- "APTRA Honors 2018 Award Winners". All Access. All Access Music Group. May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- "2018 Edward R. Murrow Award Winners". Radio Television Digital News Association. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- Official website
- KCLU in the FCC FM station database
- KCLU in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- FCC Public Inspection File contour map