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| Broadcast area | Waco, Texas |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 103.3 MHz |
| Branding | 103.3 KWBU |
| Programming | |
| Format | Public radio news/talk, classical, jazz |
| Affiliations | National Public Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | 2000 |
Call sign meaning | Waco Baylor University |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 4124 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 3,200 watts |
| HAAT | 138 meters (453 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 31°26′27″N 97°10′41″W / 31.44083°N 97.17806°W / 31.44083; -97.17806 |
| Links | |
Public license information |
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| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | kwbu.org |
KWBU-FM (103.3 MHz), is a public non-commercial FM radio stationinWaco, Texas, serving the greater Brazos Valley region.[2] It has studios on River Street in Waco. The station's Federal Communications Commission license is held by the Brazos Valley Public Broadcasting Foundation, a nonprofit community organization. Baylor has a majority of votes on the foundation board.
Many shows come from National Public Radio, with Central Texas news and information updates. There are also blocks of classical music in late mornings and evenings, with jazz shows on weekends. The BBC World Service is heard overnight.
KWBU-FM first signed on in 2000, originally on 107.1 MHz (now the location for Regional Mexican music station KLZT). Before then, Waco had been the largest radio market in the nation without an NPR station. In 2003, KWBU-FM was the first radio station in Waco to broadcast an HD radio signal, which doesn't stand for high definition.[3] When sister PBS member station KWBU-TV closed its doors in 2010 due to budget shortfalls, KWBU-FM remained in operation.[4][5] Historically, both stations had been plagued by low community support. While they were technically community licensees, Baylor's controlling stake in the Brazos Valley Public Broadcasting Foundation led to the perception that they were "Baylor stations," tamping down the support needed to keep the television station on the air. At the time of KWBU-TV's shutdown, the stations only had 1,600 members, a very low number even for a market as small as Waco and nowhere near what the foundation felt was necessary to keep the television station on the air. KWBU-FM was far less expensive to run; it operated with just under half the television side's operating budget.[6]
KWBU-FM originally operated on 107.1 MHz at 2,750 watts from a 492-foot tower near Hewitt. Now located at 103.3 MHz, it recently boosted its power to 3,200 watts from a 453-foot (138 meter) tower near Route 6 across from Richland Mall in Waco. This is still fairly modest for a full NPR member on the FM band, especially compared to other Texas NPR stations such as KUT-FMinAustinorKERA-FMinDallas, which are powered at a full 100,000 watts. The lower power helps protect KSSMinCopperas Cove, located at adjacent 103.1 FM. As a result, the station's signal doesn't make it too far out of McLennan County. Some of Waco's close-in suburbs in McLennan County only get a grade B signal. In some communities on the outskirts of Waco, listeners tune in to KUT-FM or KERA-FM for NPR programming.
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Radio stations in the Waco metropolitan area (Texas)
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| ByAM frequency |
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| ByFM frequency |
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| NOAA Weather Radio frequency |
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| Digital radio by frequency & subchannel |
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| Bycall sign |
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NPR member stations in Texas
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| High Plains Public Radio stations |
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| Marfa Public Radio stations |
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| Red River Radio stations |
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| Texas Public Radio stations |
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| Texas Tech Public Media stations |
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| Other stations |
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See also List of NPR stations | |
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