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KUSC

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KUSC
Broadcast areaSouthern California
Frequency91.5 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingClassical California KUSC
Programming
FormatClassical music
Ownership
OwnerUniversity of Southern California
History
First air date
October 24, 1946; 78 years ago (1946-10-24)
Call sign meaning
University of Southern California
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID69318
ClassB
ERP39,000 watts (directional antenna)
HAAT891 meters (2,923 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
34°12′48″N 118°03′41″W / 34.21333°N 118.06139°W / 34.21333; -118.06139
Repeater(s)See § Transmitter network
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitekusc.org

KUSC (91.5 FM; "Classical California KUSC") is a listener-supported classical music radio station broadcasting from downtown Los Angeles, California, United States.[2] KUSC is owned and operated by the University of Southern California, which also operates student-run Internet station KXSC (AM) and San Francisco's classical station KDFC. It is the largest non-profit classical music station in the country and one of the two classical music stations in the Greater Los Angeles Area along with KMZT.

History

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The station was one of the first radio stations to operate on the FM band when it officially signed on using the frequency of 91.7 on December 5, 1946.[3] Its primary benefactor was George Allan Hancock. It operated out the Hancock Foundation building on the USC campus and broadcast from a 250 foot tower above the building.[4]

In the 1970s the station adopted a general public radio format. On April 2, 1973 new station manager Wally Smith oversaw the return to the all classical station. In 1976 the station's transmitter was placed on Lookout Mountain (34°06′34″N 118°23′26″W / 34.109444°N 118.390556°W / 34.109444; -118.390556 (KUSC alternate transmitter on Lookout Mountain))[5] in Laurel Canyon, above Hollywood. In 1993 a tower was erected on Mount Harvard near Mount Wilson.[6] In 1996 Smith left the station after changing the format to talk, classical, jazz, folk and world music (he would go on to develop WPBB).

In 2010 it moved its broadcast studio to the USC Building in downtown Los Angeles.[4]

Previous logo

In February 2014, public radio station KCRW of Santa Monica announced that it would buy the Santa Barbara Foundation's classical station KDB (FM) 93.7 in Santa Barbara for $1 million.[7] The transaction will allow KCRW to begin using KQSC, USC's current repeater station in Santa Barbara, as a repeater for KCRW's programming, while transferring KUSC's classical programming from KQSC to KDB, thus perpetuating KDB's role as Santa Barbara's classical station. The legacy KDB call letters have been retained. As of 2022, the radio station rebranded; therefore the new name for the channel is Classical California KUSC.

Programming

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Notable local programming includes:[8]

  • Jennifer Miller Hammel and Alan Chapman’s weekday morning shows;
  • Brian Lauritzen weekday afternoon program;
  • Lara Downes’ weekday evening show;
  • Jennifer Miller Hammel's Sunday opera show,
  • Alan Chapman’ Saturday night program “Modern Times”.
  • Brian Lauritzen’s Sunday morning program “A Joyful Noise”.
  • Alan Chapman’s baroque program "A Musical Offering, heard Sundays from 9-11 am.
  • Weekend afternoon hosts currently include Dianne Nicolini, Rich Capparela, and Brisa Segal.
  • The overnight program Classical California All Night is hosted by John Van Driel "Tuesday-Thursday", Brissa Segal "Friday and Saturday" and Suraj Partha "Sunday and Monday”. It is shared with KDFC In San Francisco.
  • Metropolitan Opera broadcasts: These are full-length productions that take place each Saturday morning from December through May.
  • Featured performances from the LA Phil, Hollywood Bowl and other notable orchestra halls.

Management helped establish the nationwide Classical 24 network and also supervised Virginia's WMRA network before taking up leadership at KUSC.

The station holds three membership drives annually to help support operational costs. These drives usually last less than ten days. Corporate sponsors include Lexus, Miramax Films, University of Redlands, Universal Music Group, City of Hope National Medical Center and Providence Health & Services.

KUSC broadcasts in HD.[9]

KUSC is not related to WUSC, the student-run radio station at the University of South Carolina; the two institutions happen to share initials.

Transmitter network

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Call sign Frequency City of license Facility ID ERP
(W)
KUSC 91.5 FM Los Angeles, California 69318 39,000
KESC 99.7 FM Morro Bay, California 58653 285
KPSC 88.5 FM Palm Springs, California 69394 1,600
KDB 93.7 FM Santa Barbara, California 51169 12,500
KDSC[a] 91.1 FM Thousand Oaks, California 69116 4,800

Notes:

  1. ^ KDSC is non-directional (fcc.gov). Coverage pattern is not circular due to mountains to the NE which block line-of-sight FM transmissions. Any interference with the 91.1 (XETRA-FM) in Mexico goes both ways and is caused by a phenomenon called 'ducting'. Ducting occurs most often along coastal areas, particularly during spring and fall when temperature inversions occur. Ducting causes VHF signals to travel farther than normal. All VHF signals experience periodic interference from this phenomenon. (FM is in the VHF band just above TV channel 6.)

See also

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  • Abram Chasins – American composer and pianist who helped re-organize KUSC in 1972.

References

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  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KUSC". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "Classical KUSC Our Mission". University of Southern California. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  3. ^ "5 Dec 1946, 21 - Valley Times at". Newspapers.com. 1946-12-05. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  4. ^ a b "The Story of Classical KUSC".
  5. ^ "FM Query Results – KUSC". fcc.gov. Retrieved 5 Nov 2020.
  6. ^ KUSC Annual Report 2017 kusc.org Retrieved August 3, 2023
  7. ^ Engel, Allison. "Classical KUSC to Operate Santa Barbara Classical Station". University of Southern California. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  8. ^ "Schedule". University of Southern California. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  9. ^ Station Guides Archived 2017-08-08 at the Wayback Machine HD Radio Guide for Los Angeles
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