KING-FM
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| City of license | Seattle, Washington |
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| Broadcast area | Greater Puget Sound area, Washington |
| Branding | Classical King FM |
| Frequency | 98.1 MHz (also on HD Radio) |
| Format | Classical music |
| ERP | 66,000 watts |
| HAAT | 707 meters |
| Class | C |
| Facility ID | 11755 |
| Callsign meaning | King County |
| Owner | Beethoven, A Non-Profit Corporation (Classic Radio, Inc.) |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | king.org |
KING-FM (98.1 FM; "Classical King FM") is a classical music radio station in Seattle, Washington. Its transmitter is located near Issaquah, Washington on Tiger Mountain.
The station is owned by a non-profit partnership of the Seattle Symphony, the Seattle Opera and ArtsFund known as Beethoven, A Non-Profit Corporation.
KING-FM was once co-owned with KING (1090 AM, now KPTK) and KING-TV (channel 5), but was donated to the non-profit partnership by King Broadcasting upon that company’s sale to The Providence Journal Company in 1992. Even after the sale, the radio station was long co-located with the television operation. KING-FM moved to an office building several blocks away in 1999.
[edit] History
KING-FM began broadcasting classical music in Seattle around 1948. For many decades, KING-FM was a particular source of joy and enthusiasm for King Broadcasting co-owner Dorothy Stimson Bullitt. The station's ambitious and challenging musical programming reflected a very special enthusiasm and joy for musical arts.
Listeners have fond memories of the late 1970s when KING-FM carried syndicated concert broadcasts by the Philadelphia Orchestra (usually under direction of Eugene Ormandy), the New York Philharmonic, and the Boston Symphony. Many of the syndicated concert programs featured well-known instrumentalists and conductors performing works which they never recorded commercially - e.g. Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic in a highly memorable 1976 reading of Bruckner's Sixth Symphony in A major.
In the mid-1970s, KING-FM's schedule also included specialized programs showcasing Quadraphonic LP recordings and historical recordings. In 1983, KING-FM was the first station in the Seattle area to utilize compact disc technology for its recordings.[citation needed]
In 1993, KING-FM relocated its transmitter from Seattle's Queen Anne Hill to Tiger Mountain near Issaquah. This higher-altitude transmitter location provided a vast improvement in the reception quality of KING-FM's signal throughout the Puget Sound area, and the Cascades.[citation needed]
KING-FM was also one of the first radio stations to broadcast its programming online, becoming one of the first internet radio stations.[citation needed]
Although KING-FM is owned by a non-profit entity, the station has continued to operate on a commercial basis. However, on March 23, 2010, KING-FM announced that it would transition to a public radio station in July 2011, citing reduced advertising revenue.[1] Successful fundraising efforts led the station to announce on April 7, 2011 that the transition will instead take place on May 2, two months ahead of schedule.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ "Classic-music KING FM to rely on listeners". Puget Sound Business Journal (American City Business Journals). March 23, 2010. http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2010/03/22/daily16.html. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ Rolph, Amy (April 7, 2011). "KING FM will become listener-supported sooner than thought". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/KING-FM-will-become-listener-supported-sooner-1327856.php. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Query the FCC's FM station database for KING
- Radio-Locator information on KING
- Query Arbitron's FM station database for KING
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