Press Release: October 12th, 2005
Contact: Marcia Scholl, KUOW 94.9
206 221-7217 direct, or mscholl@kuow.org
KUOW 94.9 FM – NPR News and Information - Now on 1340AM
Puget Sound Region’s Public Radio Station expands service to Olympia and Surrounding Communities in Thurston County.
(Seattle, WA – October 12, 2005) KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio (PSPR) is purchasing KVSN 1340AM in Tumwater, WA from Evergreen Broadcasting Inc. for $500,000. Beginning Thursday, October 13, 2005, listeners in Olympia and surrounding communities will hear KUOW 94.9FM – NPR News and Information, simulcast at 1340AM. Until the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approves the transfer of the license, KVSN 1340AM will be programmed by PSPR through a short-term programming agreement. An application to change the station’s call letters from KVSN to KUOW-AM will be filed with the FCC.
KUOW General Manger, Wayne C. Roth discusses the purchase of 1340AM: “KUOW 94.9FM has served Thurston County for 20 years, but the station’s signal is weak or non-existent in many locations in the Olympia area. This acquisition will extend KUOW’s public service programming to more than 51,000 people living in the primary coverage area of 1340AM.” KVSN, owned and operated by Gregg Neilson and Larry Adams, has served the communities of Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater for nearly two decades. KVSN co-owner Gregg Neilson, “Local news; programs featuring local pastors; interviews with community members, local churches and businesses; and a full schedule of local sports aired season after season have all played an important part of our commitment to quality local programming. We are grateful to have played a part for so long. For some months we have sought just the right local ownership to carry on this commitment in their own way. We believe we have found it in KUOW, who themselves have a commitment to excellence in local programming, and have earned an enviable reputation for incisive news reporting and in-depth coverage of local issues. They too have a stake in our community and are well positioned to make a difference here.” Public Radio Capital, a not-for-profit organization, facilitated the deal between KVSN and KUOW. Public Radio Capital’s Managing Director Marc Hand, “KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio has an excellent reputation for broadcasting national and locally produced news, information, and cultural programming. This expansion enables KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio to serve new listeners in Olympia and surrounding communities.”
ABOUT KUOW 94.9 PUBLIC RADIO
KUOW 94.9 is the region’s public radio station for news, information, and cultural programming – serving the Puget Sound region, Western Washington, and Southern British Columbia at 94.9FM and 90.3 in Bellingham, WA, and on 1340AM in Olympia, WA. KUOW and KXOT are streamed live via the Internet at kuow.org and both are broadcast in HD Radio technology.
KUOW 94.9FM broadcasts national programs such as: Morning Edition and All Things Considered from National Public Radio (NPR) and exclusively broadcasts national programs such as: A Prairie Home Companion, Day to Day, Marketplace, The Tavis Smiley Show, Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me, and Travels with Rick Steves to listeners in the region. KUOW is a major producer of award-winning programming - airing an average of 30 hours a week of local and regional news, documentaries, and information and cultural programs. KUOW is a founding member of NPR and an affiliate of Public Radio International, American Public Media, the Associated Press, and the Northwest Public Affairs Network – administering entity of the Northwest News Network (N3) a regional news service covering Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.
KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio (PSPR) is a private non-profit organization, governed by a community board, established in 1999. PSPR assists with the operation and management of KUOW 94.9FM under an operating agreement with the station licensee, the University of Washington.
ABOUT PUBLIC RADIO CAPITAL
Public Radio Capital (PRC) is a not-for-profit organization that helps expand and preserve public radio in communities nationwide. In addition to this project in Washington, PRC has helped extend public radio services in California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin. As industry experts in station acquisition and financing, PRC provides brokerage, financial advisory, and business consulting services to public radio buyers. PRC also helps noncommercial radio station sellers find public radio buyers. The overall result of PRC’s work is increased local media ownership, better programming diversity, and greater audiences for public radio.
