KMFA FM 89.5

A non-commercial, listener-supported classical music radio station broadcasting at 89.5 MHz in Austin, Texas. The station is owned by Capitol Broadcasting Association, Inc. and operates as a Class C1 facility with an effective radiated power of 40,000 watts. Its transmitter is located at the West Austin Antenna Farm off Toro Canyon Road, and the station is licensed to broadcast a digital hybrid HD Radio signal. Studios and offices are situated on Navasota Street in Austin. KMFA was founded in the mid-1960s after Austin lost its commercial FM classical music station. A group of listeners organized to seek a non-commercial license, with Noyes Willett serving as unpaid chief engineer and Leonard Masters becoming the station's first announcer and program director. The station signed on January 29, 1967, from studios set up in the Perry Brooks Building; the first piece of music broadcast was the "William Tell Overture" by Gioachino Rossini. Initial power was 1,300 watts. Programming consists of classical music with local hosts alongside nationally syndicated broadcasts. Weekly contributions come from the University of Texas at Austin School of Music and the Austin Symphony Orchestra. National programs carried by the station include the Metropolitan Opera during its season, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and NPR's "Performance Today." Specialty programs include "From the Top," which showcases young classical musicians; "Pipedreams," devoted to pipe organ performance; and "Sunday Baroque." In 2020, KMFA completed construction of a permanent facility in East Austin at a total cost of $10.5 million, funded entirely through community contributions. The complex includes a 130-seat performance space. The station also presents and promotes live classical arts events in the Austin region.