KUCO (
90.1 FM) is a
classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
serving the
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...
area, owned by the
University of Central Oklahoma
The University of Central Oklahoma (UCO or Central State) is a public university in Edmond, Oklahoma. It is the third largest university in Oklahoma, with more than 17,000 students and approximately 434 full-time and 400 adjunct faculty. Founde ...
. Studios are located at the UCO at Santa Fe Plaza development in downtown Oklahoma City.
History
Student radio
On October 19, 1965, the
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...
granted Central State College a construction permit for a new student radio station to be built on the CSC campus.
On April 4, 1966, KCSC took to the air from studios in the former president's office in what had been the Central State administration building. Funded by a $25,000 donation from alumnus Homer L. Johnson, a rancher from
Duncan, KCSC aired mostly classical and light dinner music, alongside extensive coverage of Central State athletic events, a bulletin board for campus events, and news coverage. Max O. Davis, chairman of Central's speech department, stated the station will be used primarily as an educational tool to prepare students for positions in the broadcasting industry. Enrollment for radio courses increased from 6 students in 1962 to 120 that year.
KCSC did not remain a 10-watt outlet for long. On November 24, 1967, the FCC approved a power increase to 28,000 watts on 90.1 MHz. The school had constructed a new radio tower across from the campus football stadium the preceding summer. It was estimated by student Joe Findlay that KCSC could reach 75 percent of Oklahoma's population. The change was made in 1968. When the school was elevated to university status as Central State University, it tried to change the calls to KCSU, but those calls were already being used by
Colorado State's student station.
In 1978, the station built a new tower and increased its effective radiated power to 100,000 watts, extending its coverage to nearly all of central Oklahoma; the upgrade, paid for by a $100,000 grant from the Kerr Foundation, also saw the station begin to increase its classical music programming.
Classical music
The format had changed to almost entirely classical and jazz music by 1979. The new format fueled a major increase in listener support; from 1979 to 1985, KCSC's budget doubled every year even as the university cut in other areas. The station briefly also became a member of
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
; Oklahoma City had been one of the largest cities without a full-market NPR station, previously depending on fringe reception from
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
's
KOSU
KOSU (91.7 FM) is a public radio station operated by Oklahoma State University, with studios on OSU's campus in Stillwater, Oklahoma and in the Film Row district in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The station broadcasts a mix of National Public Radio n ...
and the
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...
's
KGOU
KGOU is a National Public Radio member news/talk/jazz music/blues music radio station serving the Oklahoma City area, western and northwestern Oklahoma, and towns in Pontotoc, Seminole and Grady counties. . However, the intensive classical format and more professionalized operation led to a drop in student interest. In 1983, a cable-only campus station, "KBLZ", was created for student programming; this continued in various guises and is now a low-power FM station,
KZUC-LP
KZUC-LP (also going by UCentral Radio) is the student radio station on the campus of the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma. UCentral Radio applied for an LPFM license in November 2013 and was awarded a construction permit by the ...
99.3 "UCentral Radio".
In 1993, however, KGOU built a repeater in
Spencer to better serve Oklahoma City. Central and OU agreed to adopt non-conflicting schedules in 1996. Although KCSC was the more powerful station, it dropped all NPR programming to become an all-classical station, while KGOU became central Oklahoma's main outlet for NPR programming.
Station history
/ref> This left most of central Oklahoma without a clear signal for NPR news and talk programming until KOSU moved its tower closer to Oklahoma City in 2005.
KBCW signed on in 1999; it was named for Clark and Wanda Bass, whose gift provided funding to construct the facility. On April 1, 2014 that the radio station became KUCO.[ The KCSC-FM call letters were reinstated after UCO acquired the then-KZCU at Woodward from ]Cameron University
Cameron University is a public university in Lawton, Oklahoma. It offers more than 50 degrees through both undergraduate and graduate programs. The degree programs emphasize the liberal arts, science and technology, and graduate and professional ...
in 2014.
Repeaters
HD Radio
KUCO transmits an HD Radio
HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...
signal. HD2 currently carries a simulcast
Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...
of UCentral Radio
KZUC-LP (also going by UCentral Radio) is the student radio station on the campus of the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma. UCentral Radio applied for an LPFM license in November 2013 and was awarded a construction permit by the F ...
. HD2 formerly carried KTGS, a gospel music
Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...
station. HD3 formerly carried Oklahoma Vietnamese Public Radio.
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{coord, 35.573, N, 97.486, W, type:landmark_region:US-OK_source:FCC, display=title, name=KUCO
UCO
Classical music radio stations in the United States
UCO
University of Central Oklahoma
Radio stations established in 1966
1966 establishments in Oklahoma