KUNR FM 88.7

A non-commercial public radio station operating at 88.7 FM, licensed to Reno, Nevada, and owned by the University of Nevada, Reno. Its studios are located on the university campus inside Edmund J. Cain Hall on North Virginia Street. The station signed on the air on October 7, 1963, initially broadcasting at 88.1 MHz with only 10 watts of power, reaching little beyond the campus. Over subsequent decades it increased its power output and relocated its transmitter to a high peak between Reno and Carson City, greatly extending its reach across western Nevada and into parts of Northern California and the Lake Tahoe basin. The station joined NPR in 1981, shifting from a college radio format to a public radio orientation emphasizing news, information, and classical music. In 1992, a companion station, KNCC at 91.5 FM in Elko, signed on to simulcast the primary feed for eastern Nevada audiences. In 2016, the university acquired an additional frequency that became KNCJ at 89.5 FM, to which classical music and jazz programming was transferred. This allowed KUNR to convert to an all-news, talk, and information format, with limited exceptions for weekend programming. Today, both KUNR and KNCC are supported by a network of low-power FM translators serving smaller communities throughout Nevada and Northern California. Local journalism produced by the station covers Nevada state politics, education, the regional economy, and multicultural affairs, including Spanish-language content through the Al Aire con KUNR program. The KNCJ Biggest Little Concert Series presents live music performances in the Reno area.