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  City Seattle, Washington
  Slogan "where the music matters"
  Airdate 1972
  Frequency 903 MHz ( FM )
  Format Alternative Rock /eclectic
  Power 4,700 Watt s
  Class C3
  Former Callsigns KCMU
  Owner University Of Washington
  Webcast WindowsMedia/Real/MP3
  Website KEXPorg
  Affiliations NPR , EMP , UW


KEXP (formerly '''KCMU''') is a Public Radio Station based in Seattle, Washington , that specializes in independent and Alternative Rock programmed by its Disc Jockey s. Its broadcasting license is owned by the University Of Washington , which operates the station in a partnership with Paul Allen 's Experience Music Project .

For the majority of its schedule, KEXP broadcasts an eclectic mix of primarily Alternative Music . The station also features weekly specialty programs dedicated to particular musical genres, including Rockabilly , Blues , World Music , Hip Hop , Electronica , Punk , and Alternative Country . Live, in-studio performances by artists are also regularly featured.

KEXP is broadcast in the Seattle area on 90.3 's Galaxy 10R satellite. Lyngsat, Galaxy 10R at 123.0°W, station listing .

KEXP's streaming costs are covered by the University of Washington (UW), which also provides most of the Internet technology used by the station. KEXP is often a testing ground for the university’s Computing and Communications department, leading to features not found by other stations. In addition, music licensing fees associated with internet radio are covered by the station's affiliation with National Public Radio. The association and financial help by these two organizations have allowed KEXP to experiment with its online offerings. The station is located at 133 Dexter Avenue, on the corner of Denny Way.


HISTORY

Groundwork for the station that would eventually become KEXP began in 1971, started by UW undergraduates John Kean, Cliff Noonan, Victoria ("Tory") Fiedler, and Brent Wilcox. KUOW (94.9), then an instructional radio station, now an NPR affiliate, had recently made some cutbacks that had removed most opportunities for student involvement in the station. The four students convinced the Communications Department to provide space and a tiny budget with which they bought " Turntable s, Tape Cartridge s, and a few other items like Plywood ." They built their own console cabinets, successfully petitioned the UW and the FCC for a frequency and a license, and ultimately raised their own antenna. The 10- Watt signal "barely reached The Ave " (the commercial heart of Seattle's University District ).Christian Nelson, Strong Signals , ''Columns'' (UW alumni magazine), March 2007, p. 54.

In 1972, the station started operations as KCMU, a small Album Rock station staffed by University of Washington students that broadcast at 90.5 FM to the UW campus. (The "CMU" in its Call Letters referred to the abbreviation of the campus's Communications Building, the station's home.)

In 1975, its signal strength was boosted to 182 watts, carrying the signal off campus for the first time.

In 1981, under the direction of Jon Kertzer, KCMU turned to its listening audience for public funding after the UW's budget was cut. KCMU played mostly Indie Rock but also was the first station to play rap artists like Grandmaster Flash . Throughout the late 1980s, the station tapped into Seattle's burgeoning music scene. Members of local bands Soundgarden and Mudhoney worked as volunteer DJs as did both Jonathan Poneman and Bruce Pavitt, the founders of Sub-Pop . During these years, '' Billboard Magazine '' called KCMU "one of the most influential commercial-free stations in the country."

From 1983–1985, Kerry Loewen (former station manager at KFJC ) was station manager.

In late 1985 Chris Knab (former owner of Aquarius Records in San Francisco) became station manager. Mr. Knab moved the station away from alternative rock-only programming, adding jazz, hip hop, world music and other genres to its lineup.

In 1986, KCMU switched frequencies to 90.3 FM and upped its transmitter signal to 400 watts, increasing its broadcast radius to 15 miles.

In 1992, KCMU dropped many of its volunteer DJs and elected to run syndicated programming. Some listeners and DJs considered this a betrayal of KCMU's democratic mission, and formed a group called CURSE (Censorship Undermines Radio Station Ethics). A program called '' World Cafe '', based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , was a particular bone of contention.

CURSE encouraged local KCMU supporters to stop donating money to the station in protest. Volunteer DJs who criticized the station's policies were fired, although a lawsuit from CURSE resulted in that policy being struck down by a United States District Court . ''World Cafe'' was dropped from KCMU's lineup in 1993], but none of the fired volunteer staff returned to the station.

KCMU hired its three full-time paid DJs in 1996, a move that cost several volunteer DJs and led to further complaints from some listeners who decried what they perceived as commercialization of the non-commercial radio station.

In 2000, KCMU started Streaming uncompressed audio over the Internet.

KCMU changed its name to KEXP in 2001. At the same time, it moved to a new studio near Downtown Seattle, partnered with the Experience Music Project (EMP), and increased its power to 720 watts.

The kexp.org website was nominated for two Webby Award s in 2003, Best Radio Website and the People's Voice Award.

In 2004, KEXP started broadcasting on KXOT 91.7 FM in Tacoma, Washington , which extended the station's broadcast range to Olympia and the south Puget Sound region. Before then, KXOT was known as '''KBTC''', was owned by Bates Technical College , and featured a Classic Rock format. Bates sold the station to Public Radio Capital for $5 million, and PRC leases it to KEXP.

As of 2005, the station has construction permits to increase the power of KEXP 90.3 FM from 720 watts to 3,300 W Effective Radiated Power , and KXOT from 7,900 W to 39,000 W.

KEXP began Podcast ing their live, in-studio performances beginning with Seattle Hip Hop trio Boom Bap Project who appeared on 21 July 2005 .

On , 2005 . Accessed online 25 March 2007 .

On 10 March 2006 , KEXP increased the power of its terrestrial frequency to 4,700 W Effective Radiated Power . The signal is radiated in a Cardioid pattern.

In May 2006, "KEXP’s Audioasis local music program announced a 'community partnership' initiative 'designed to create connections between KEXP listeners and deserving local charities.' The hope is that these connections will result in an increase in awareness of the mission and work of local organizations and the impact they have on the larger community."


WEBSITE

In addition to features such as , Jimmie Dale Gilmore , and They Might Be Giants and local Pacific Northwest artists such as Harvey Danger , The Long Winters , and Maktub .

KEXP's website was the first site on the Internet to offer a 1.4 Mbit/s uncompressed stream of live radio. Innovations such as the uncompressed stream helped KEXP's website to win a Webby Award for best radio website in 2004. It had been nominated for the same award in 2003 but failed to win.


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