KCUR FM 89.3

Broadcasting at 89.3 MHz with a maximum effective radiated power of 100,000 watts, this public radio station is a service of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, reaching the Kansas City metropolitan area as well as portions of Missouri and Kansas. It airs primarily NPR and local news and information programming, including nationally distributed programs such as Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and 1A. A locally produced weekday talk program, Up to Date, airs each morning at 9 a.m. The university also owns classical music station KWJC at 91.9 FM, which operates as a companion service. The station's history dates to 1957, when it became the first university-licensed educational FM station in Missouri and the second FM station in Kansas City. It launched on October 21 of that year from the third floor of Scofield Hall, with a signal range of four miles, two full-time employees, and a $15,000 university budget. Student volunteers wired and set up the facility. The call letters derived from the university's informal name at the time, "KCU." The station survived a 1961 budget crisis in which the University of Kansas City Board of Trustees voted to eliminate it, ultimately continuing operation thanks to sustained advocacy. Current local coverage includes environmental reporting, Kansas and Missouri statehouse news, and regional health and sports stories. The transmitter is located near Missouri Route 78 in Kansas City.