KDB (FM)
SimulcastsKUSCLos Angeles | |
---|---|
Broadcast area | Santa Barbara CountyandVentura County |
Frequency | 93.7MHz |
Branding | Classical California KUSC |
Programming | |
Format | Classical |
Ownership | |
Owner | University of Southern California |
History | |
First air date | February 14, 1960 |
Call signmeaning | Dorothy Barnes (wife ofKDB (1490 AM)owner George Barnes in 1929) |
Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 51169 |
Class | B |
ERP | 12,500watts |
HAAT | 265 meters (869 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 34°27′58″N119°40′37″W/ 34.46611°N 119.67694°W |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Webcast | Listen live |
Website | kusc.org |
KDB(93.7MHz) is anon-commercialFMradio stationlicensedtoSanta Barbara, California,and servingSanta Barbara CountyandVentura County.It is owned by theUniversity of Southern Californiaand broadcasts aclassical musicradio format,simulcastingKUSC(91.5 FM) inLos Angeles.KUSC and KDB air periodicfundraiserson the air, seeking donations and members.
KDB has aneffective radiated powerof 12,500watts.Thetransmitteris off Gibraltar Road in Santa Barbara, located among thetowersfor other Santa Barbara FM and TV stations.[2]
History
[edit]Beautiful and classical music
[edit]KDB-FM firstsigned onthe air on February 14, 1960. It was thesister stationtoKDB (1490 AM).The AM station had held the KDBcall signsince 1929, an era where many stations were granted three-letter call signs. This is why today's KDB still retains unusual call letters for an FM station. KDB-AM-FM were Santa Barbara's first 24-hour stations. The stations were bought in 1971 by the Pacific Broadcasting Company, consisting of Bob Scott, Harvey Pool, and Dick Marsh. After programming Americanshow tunesandbeautiful musicfor nine years, KDB-FM changed its format toclassical musicin 1980.
A competing classical music station appeared in Santa Barbara in 1985. Signing on that year was KSCA, a full-powernon-commercialstation owned by theUniversity of Southern Californiathat served as a repeater ofKUSCin Los Angeles. KSCA's call letters changed to KFAC in 1991,[3]then toKQSCin 2004.[4]
Ownership Changes
[edit]The KDB-AM-FM combo was split in November 1990 due to an ownership dispute. Pacific Broadcasting sold the AM station, then known as KSPE, to Spectacular Broadcasting for $302,000.[5]Meanwhile, KDB-FM remained with Bob Scott, his son Roby, and Pool.
Non-profit status
[edit]Through the 1980s and 1990s, many commercial classical stations around the U.S. were sold and their formats changed to more mass-appeal musical genres; others, likeWQXR-FMinNew York CityandWCRBinBoston,were converted to non-profit status. In 2001, Michael Towbes, David Anderson, and Jean and Barry Schuyler bought KDB-FM with the goal of selling the station to anonprofit organizationthat would keep the classical format and local orientation. This happened in November 2003, when the Santa Barbara Foundation purchased the station through a generous donation from Towbes.
In 2010, KDB embarked on a three-year strategic plan to enhance and grow its service to the community with programming that enriched the lives of those who listen. KDB added a Features Producer who created two to three interviews and features per week on the performing, visual and literary arts, as well as the work of local nonprofit organizations. In 2011, KDB entered the world of social media, adding a monthly e-newsletter andFacebookpage.
In October 2013, the Santa Barbara Foundation announced that it had put KDB up for sale. In a statement, the station said that it was unable to attract enough revenue from contributing listeners to support KDB's operations, despite an increase in membership revenue. The foundation hoped to sell the station at a discount to interests that would retain the classical format, citing the "continuing community benefit" of continuing this programming. However, the organization also considered full-price offers from groups that would program a format of their choosing, in which case the proceeds would go toward an endowment to support classical music in the area.[6]
KCRW and KUSC ownership
[edit]In February 2014, public radio stationKCRWinSanta Monicaannounced that it would buy KDB for $1 million; the sale price was amended to $1.3 million in June. The transaction would allow KCRW to shift its Santa Barbara broadcast coverage from a weakFM translatorto the full-powered 88.7 signal then licensed to KQSC. USC moved its classical music programming from 88.7 to KDB's 93.7 frequency, thus continuing KDB's role as Santa Barbara's classical station.[7]On August 28, 2014, the sale was finalized and KDB began simulcasting KUSC's classical format.
KCRW donated much of the KDB studio equipment toKBUU-LP,a startup community radio station inMalibu.The vintage 1990 broadcast board remains in continuous use at KBUU, with an old KDB logo and its baton-wielding penguin affixed.[8]
References
[edit]- ^"Facility Technical Data for KDB".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
- ^Radio-Locator /KDB
- ^"Directory of Radio Stations in the United States and Canada" (PDF). The Broadcasting Yearbook. Broadcasting Publications Inc. 1991. p. B-46. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
- ^"Directory of Radio Stations in the United States" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook. New Providence, New Jersey: R.R. Bowker. 2005. p. D-96. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
- ^"Silverman Sells Saga Sunshine For $16 Million"(PDF).Radio & Records.November 30, 1990.RetrievedApril 25,2018.
- ^Hayden, Tyler (October 28, 2013)."KDB 93.7 FM on the Auction Block".Santa Barbara Independent.Archived fromthe originalon October 29, 2013.RetrievedOctober 28,2013.
- ^Faughnder, Ryan (February 18, 2014)."KCRW buying Santa Barbara classical station KDB".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedJune 16,2018.
- ^"About Us – 99.1 KBUU is RadioMalibu.Net".
External links
[edit]- Official website (KUSC)
- FCC History Cards for KDB (FM)
- Facility details for Facility ID 51169 (KDB)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- KDBinNielsen Audio's FM station database
- FCC Public Inspection File contour map