Yuma public radio provides new format
Yuma's public radio went on the airwaves Monday with a new format that mostly splits news and music into separate stations and invites local music lovers to share their favorite tunes by becoming volunteer deejays.
KAWC 88.9 FM has become "Real News, When You Need it" and now broadcasts news and discussion programming. KAWC AM 1320, meanwhile, is now "Community Radio and a World of Music" and provides all-day music programming that focuses on Americana, blues, world music and classical music.
The changes come on the heels of strategic planning that included a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
"Information we got through the grant and strategic planning indicated that news and information programming is the most valuable service we provide," said KAWC General Manager Dave Riek. "We have to put that on our most powerful signal. It doesn't make sense to bury that service on our AM, which is certainly not our strongest signal."
In the past a great deal of programming was repeated between the FM and AM channels.
"It just doesn't make sense to have two stations running exactly the same programming at the same time," Riek said. "We clearly recognize that there are two kinds of public radio listeners - the news lovers and the news avoiders. We are trying to give a place to both of them. We are giving people a choice."
KAWC began broadcasting in 1970 from the campus of Arizona Western College. The radio services are now being offered under the banner of Colorado River Public Media, a move that Riek says reflects KAWC expanding its focus to include La Paz and Mohave counties.
KAWC 88.9 FM now boasts a schedule of news and discussion programming from National Public Radio and the BBC running from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. "Arizona Edition," a daily focus on regional news, will air twice a day at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
"Arizona Edition" premiered Monday by kicking off a week-long series of reports on the Yuma economy that were funded by the grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Steve Proffitt, a former National Public Radio producer, worked with KAWC's Kim Johnson and Lou Gum to create the series, including a piece that was broadcast by NPR nationally.
But the split between news and music isn't exactly 100 percent. KAWC FM will continue its long tradition of offering "entertainment and fine arts programming," including classical music in the evenings and jazz on the weekends.
KAWC AM now focuses on American, blues and world music Monday through Friday, with classical music - including opera - playing on the weekends. To boost the variety of music offered KAWC is inviting local folks to sign up for free training and become volunteer deejays.
"People can come down here and play their favorite tunes. There's a lot of hours in the week to fill, so we'll take as many (deejays) as we can get," Riek said, adding that broadcasting students at AWC will be asked to get involved. "We'd also love it if people send us their playlists and let us know what they'd like to hear."
Popular shows like "Car Talk" and "A Prairie Home Companion" will continue to play on KAWC FM. "The Bridge," a popular KAWC music show, will go from being a four-hour show on FM to playing nine hours a day on the AM channel.
Many public radio markets across the country also offer split programming on their FM and AM channels.
"Finally, we really think Yuma is a younger demographic than most public radio markets and we're trying to create a service that will appeal to younger listeners," Riek said, adding that an increasing number of listeners are enjoying KAWC online. "...KAWC is much more than two radio stations. KAWC provides on-line resources, social media and thousands of hours of on-line listening every month at KAWC.org."
For more information about volunteering call KAWC at 344-7690 or go online to KAWC's Web site, which also contains the new programming schedules.
