University of Utah public broadcast radio station KUER and PBS Utah have agreed to acquire the 88.3 FM frequency license. The frequency is currently broadcasting as KCPW under ownership of Wasatch Public Media. Closing of the sale is subject to the final transfer of the license by the Federal Communications Commission, no later than April 30.
“We are uniquely positioned to keep this spot on the dial locally owned and in public service,” said KUER and PBS Utah Maria O’Mara, executive director of the broadcast entities. “And our intention is to grow that service for a more diverse and younger audience.”
O’Mara said KUER and PBS Utah will bring a bilingual format of music and news to the 88.3 signal, which broadcasts from a transmitter located in the Oquirrh Mountains southwest of West Valley City and is heard throughout Salt Lake County.
After FCC approval of the transfer of the license, programming for 88.3 will first come from Radio Bilingüe, a Fresno-based nonprofit network and national distributor of public radio programming in Spanish. It has aired on an HD subchannel of KUER since May.
“As our local population continues to grow and diversify, it is important to us to offer an inclusive, bilingual platform for the voices and stories that make up our rich heritage and that propel Utah forward as a stronger, more connected state,” said Jennifer Tarazon, a member of PBS Utah’s advisory board.
“I look forward to our comunidades, our communities, coming together to inform new programming,” said Edgar Zúñiga, PBS Utah Advisory Board member and former KUER host. “This is an exciting time for public media in Utah and as a Colombian-American who grew up in this state, I could not be more thrilled.”
Local programs from KCPW, including “Beyond the Headlines,” “Both Sides of the Aisle” and “Jazz Time with Steve Williams,” will continue to be produced and broadcast by Logan-based Utah Public Radio.