Wyoming Public Radio

Wyoming Public Radio (WPR) is the statewide public radio network in Wyoming, and is licensed to the University of Wyoming, with headquarters inside the basement of Knight Hall on the UW campus on East University Avenue (at the corner of South 12th Street and Ivinson Avenue) in Laramie.

Programming and operation Although licensed to the university, the network does not produce student-derived programming. Twice a year, in the fall and in the spring, the station conducts pledge drives, which is where a majority of its budget comes from. From the UW campus in Laramie, the network produces local news and music programming, mostly consisting of jazz, classical and adult album alternative music. The network also airs a variety of syndicated programs from National Public Radio, Public Radio Exchange, Native Voice One, and American Public Media. Some NPR, PRX, and BBC World Service programming includes Morning Edition, All Things Considered, BBC World Service, and many others.

Wyoming Public Radio also produces Classical Wyoming, a 24-hour classical format. It is available as an analog radio service in Laramie, Rock Springs, and Lander. It is also available on HD-2 throughout the state. WPR is the only public radio network produced in Wyoming. Other public radio networks and stations (including Yellowstone Public Radio, KUER-FM, KUNC, and KUVO) also reach into parts of the state.

History Wyoming Public Radio was founded in 1966, and the station's format is similar to that of many other American public radio stations. The station can trace its roots back to KFBU, Wyoming's first radio station, which broadcast from St. Matthew's Cathedral in Laramie. KFBU was put on air by Warner N. Crosby, an engineering student at the University of Wyoming. He held a second-grade commercial license for radio, which, at the time, was required to broadcast. The station went on air with 10 watts on October 3, 1922. In 1923, the station was upgraded to 25 watts and more power later on. The station had a turbulent history but was often received at far distances. It was transferred to the university in early 1929, and the call sign changed to KWYO. Due to a lack of available funding, KWYO was deleted in September 1929."Strike out all particulars", Radio Service Bulletin, October 31, 1929, page 9.

On September 28, 1938, broadcasts from the university were picked up via wire to be aired across the NBC Radio Network. In 1957, the university's Engineering Department began "University Radio." On January 1, 1965, KTWO, Wyoming's oldest commercial radio station, donated a board to the university to use for on air broadcasts. The station's first affiliate, KUWR, received its license in 1966 and went on air for the fall semester. KUWR-FM broadcast from the student union. In 1966, then University President John King encouraged the station to be used for sports broadcasts. KUWR was Wyoming's second FM radio station, and was initially 10 watts, on 91.5 MHz. The station moved to 91.9 and increased power to 50,000 watts in April 1977. It was at that time that the studios were moved to Knight Hall where they remain today.

In the late 1970s, KUWR began to pick up programming from National Public Radio, including All Things Considered. In the 1980s, network staples like Morning Edition and A Prairie Home Companion were added to the lineup. In the mid-1980s, translators of KUWR were put on air in Casper, and Aspen, Colorado. Demand for the radio network began to grow statewide, along with construction permits for new stations. KUWR's translator in Casper was limited to 10 watts, and the signal was unreliable due to wind issues. It was thought that a state-wide network could be built in 10 years.

Wyoming Public Radio has continued to add stations to improve coverage throughout the state.

In September 2016, Wyoming Public Radio launched a fourth radio service named Wyoming Sounds. Wyoming Sounds is a rock-based format with emphasis on singer-songwriters and a wide variety of styles, including acoustic, folk, blues, soul, reggae, world, and Americana music. It is carried as an analog radio service in Laramie, Torrington, Lander, Riverton, and Worland. It is also available on HD-3 channels throughout the state. Its website is wyomingsounds.org.

The network celebrated its 55th year of broadcasting in 2021 with a slideshow of where the network started and how it grew.

Stations

Call sign Frequency City of license State Facility ID ERPW Heightm (ft) Class Transmitter coordinates KUWA 91.3 FM Afton Wyoming 400 A KBUW 90.5 FM Buffalo Wyoming 430 A KUWC 91.3 FM Casper Wyoming 530 C3 KDUW 91.7 FM Douglas Wyoming 450 A KUWE 89.7 FM Evanston Wyoming 2,000 C2 KUWW 90.9 FM Fort Washakie Wyoming 8,000 C3 KUWG 90.9 FM Gillette Wyoming 450 A KUWJ 90.3 FM Jackson Wyoming 3,000 C2 KUWK 88.7 FM Kaycee Wyoming 1,600 A KUWR 91.9 FM Laramie Wyoming 100,000 C0 KUWV 90.7 FM Lingle Wyoming 14,000 C3 KUWN 90.5 FM Newcastle Wyoming 400 A KUWX 90.9 FM Pinedale Wyoming 450 A KUWP 90.1 FM Powell Wyoming 430 C3 KUWI 89.9 FM Rawlins Wyoming 2,000 C3 KUWZ 90.5 FM Rock Springs Wyoming 35,000 C0 KAIW 88.9 FM Saratoga Wyoming 580 C2 KSUW 91.3 FM Sheridan Wyoming 20,000 C1 KUWD 91.5 FM Sundance Wyoming 430 C3 KUWT 91.3 FM Thermopolis Wyoming 2,000 C2 KEUW 89.9 FM Torrington Wyoming 6,000 A

Notes

+ Broadcast translators Call sign Frequency(MHz) City of license State Facility ID Rebroadcasts K219LW 91.7 Driggs Idaho KUWR K217BP 91.3 Dubois Wyoming KUWR K298CH 107.5 Mountain View Wyoming KUWZ K206AJ 89.1 Sinclair Wyoming KUWR K298AY 107.5 Wheatland Wyoming KUWR K227BB 93.3 Worland Wyoming KUWT

Wyoming Sounds Wyoming Public Media operates an adult album alternative network branded Wyoming Sounds.

Two of the transmitters in this network, KTWY and KXWY, were previously commercial licenses held by Cochise Broadcasting, which only broadcast periodically to maintain their licenses. In 2017, the FCC entered into a consent decree with Cochise by which it surrendered these stations, KWWY (in the Classical Wyoming network), and other stations for donation to other entities. KNWT operated independently from 2009 to 2017 as a service of Northwest College in Powell.

Call sign Frequency City of license State Facility ID ERPW Heightm (ft) Class Transmitter coordinates KNWT 89.1 FM Cody Wyoming 16,500 C1 KTWY 97.1 FM Shoshoni Wyoming 2,200 C1 KXWY 103.1 FM Hudson Wyoming 30,000 C2

+ Broadcast translators of Wyoming Sounds Call sign Frequency(MHz) City of license State Facility ID K247BC 97.3 Jackson Wyoming K278CM 103.5 Laramie Wyoming K206AJ 89.1 Sinclair Wyoming K208FY 89.5 Torrington Wyoming K231BW 94.1 Worland Wyoming

Classical Wyoming Three stations air their own programming, consisting mostly of classical music:

Call sign Frequency City of license State Facility ID ERPW Heightm (ft) Class Transmitter coordinates KUWY 88.5 FM Laramie Wyoming 135 A KZUW 88.5 FM Reliance Wyoming 260 A KWWY 106.5 FM Shoshoni Wyoming 2,200 C1

+ Broadcast translators of Classical Wyoming Call sign Frequency(MHz) City of license State Facility ID Rebroadcasts K240EK 95.9 Jackson Wyoming KUWJ-HD2 K220GP 91.9 Lander Wyoming KUWY

KUWL KUWL airs its own programming, consisting mostly of jazz music:

Call sign Frequency City of license State Facility ID ERPW Heightm (ft) Class Transmitter coordinates KUWL 90.1 FM Laramie Wyoming 110 A

+ Broadcast translators of KUWL Call sign Frequency(MHz) City of license State Facility ID K213EZ 90.5 Riverton Wyoming

Some of the affiliates are broadcasting digitally via HD Radio, with a subchannel consisting of full-time classical music, mostly from the Classical 24 network.Wyoming HD Radio stations

Wyoming Public Radio

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