Bill Virgin's Radio Beat July 5, 2007

[radiofan]

On Radio: WSU adds to its public radio collection
By BILL VIRGIN
P-I REPORTER

The Seattle-Tacoma radio market has two National Public Radio affiliates with their own news operations, in the form of KUOW-FM (94.9) and KPLU-FM (88.5).

The state of Washington has at least one more major NPR and regional news radio operation -- Northwest Public Radio, operated by Washington State University.

Actually, Northwest Public Radio consists of two networks, one with eight stations and eight translators providing NPR news and classical music, the other with five stations and three translators providing NPR programming, covering much of Washington as well as parts of Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia.

Now Northwest Public Radio is adding to its lineup of stations.

The network has just received from the Federal Communications Commission a construction permit for an FM station at 88.9 in the Chehalis area; the signal also will reach into Thurston County, says Dennis Haarsager, Northwest Public Radio's general manager.

It's been a long time coming. Haarsager says the application was first filed in 1996.

Call letters haven't been assigned to the station, which could be on the air next year. Northwest Public Radio also has applied for a federal grant to cover much of the cost of the station.

In the meantime, Northwest Public Radio is working on upgrading a station it acquired from Skagit Valley College in Mount Vernon. That station, currently at 90.1, eventually will get a new frequency, increased power and a new transmitter site to provide broader signal coverage.

The network also has been rolling out HD technology to provide multiple channels. The Chehalis station, for example, will be part of the news network but will have a second HD channel for the classical music service as well.

The news side of Northwest Public Radio is part of the Northwest News Network consortium, which includes KUOW, KPLU and Oregon Public Broadcasting. The consortium generates stories for stations to use, and members swap news reports they've generated.

One market the network isn't heard in, at least over the air, is Seattle-Tacoma. Would it ever consider adding a station here? "If you could drop $6-$7 million in my lap," Haarsager says. It did look at acquiring an available FM frequency in Tacoma a few years ago, but that deal didn't work out, and Haarsager says WSU and the network now may be priced out of the area.

But both networks are available on the Web (program streams as well as station and translator frequencies are at nwpr.org); Haarsager says the network has membership throughout the Seattle-Tacoma-Everett area.

In other radio notes:

KIRO-AM (710) has added "Meet the Press" at 9 a.m. Sundays.

KUOW-FM (94.9) presents a debate between Seattle City Council candidates Jean Godden, Lauren Briel, Robert Sondheim and Joe Szwaja at 10 a.m. Thursday.

Sister Sharon Park, executive director of the Washington State Catholic Conference, is the guest on "Conversations With Father Bob" at 8 a.m. Saturday on KKNW-AM (1150) and 5 p.m. Tuesday on KBLE-AM (1050).

Spider Trio performs on "Sonarchy" at midnight Saturday on KEXP-FM (90.3).

Don Riggs' guests on "Introspect Northwest" at 7 a.m. Sunday on KMPS-FM (94.1) and 9 a.m. Sunday on KPTK-AM (1090) include Scott Strode, vice president of airplane development and production at Boeing, discussing the 787 rollout.

The Sunday edition of Jim French's "Imagination Theatre," heard at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on KIXI-AM (880), includes a new Harry Nile mystery.

P-I reporter Bill Virgin can be reached at 206-448-8319 or billvirgin@seattlepi.com.

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