KWBU-FM
| City | Waco, Texas |
|---|---|
| Slogan | Heart of Texas Public Radio |
| Frequency | 103.3 (MHz) |
| First air date | 2000 |
| Format | Classical music/NPR |
| ERP | 2750 Watts |
| HAAT | 150 meters |
| Class | A |
| Facility ID | 4124 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 31°26′27″N 97°10′41″W / 31.44083°N 97.17806°W |
| Callsign meaning |
Waco Baylor University |
| Affiliations | National Public Radio |
| Owner |
Baylor University (Brazos Valley Public Broadcasting Foundation) |
| Website | http://www.kwbu.org/ |
KWBU-FM (103.3 FM), is a National Public Radio-member radio station in Waco, Texas, serving the greater Brazos Valley region.[1] It is owned by Baylor University.
The station first signed on in 2000. Before then, Waco had been the largest market in the nation without an NPR station. In 2003, KWBU-FM was the first radio station in Waco to broadcast a high definition radio signal, also known as HD radio. When sister PBS member station KWBU-TV closed its doors in 2010 due to budget shortfalls, KWBU-FM remained in operation.[2]
The station originally operated at 2,750 watts from a tiny 492-foot tower near Hewitt. It recently boosted its power to 3,200 watts from a 453-foot tower across from Richland Mall in Waco--like its predecessor, fairly modest for a full NPR member on the FM band. This may be to protect KSSM in Copperas Cove, located at adjacent 103.1 FM. As a result, the station's signal doesn't make it too far out of McLennan County; indeed, some of Waco's close-in suburbs in McLennan County only get a grade B signal. In many surrounding cities, such as Temple and Killeen, the station is barely listenable.
References
External links
- Query the FCC's FM station database for KWBU
- Radio-Locator information on KWBU
- Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for KWBU