March 1, 2004
New Public Radio Station to Serve Tacoma and Olympia with KEXP Programming
Tacoma, WA -- Bates Technical College, Public Radio Capital and KEXP 90.3 FM Public
Radio today announced a change in the ownership and programming of KBTC 91.7 FM in Tacoma.
Bates Technical College is selling KBTC-FM to Public Radio Capital (PRC), which works to broaden the
reach of public radio nationwide through partnerships with educational institutions and public
broadcasters. PRC has entered into a programming agreement with Seattle non-commercial station KEXP
to program the channel with its eclectic music format of alternative rock, electronic, world, roots, jazz, hip
hop and blues hand-picked by knowledgeable DJs.
“All along we have insisted that the radio station should go to public broadcasting, not some other
broadcasting interest,” said L. H. Horton Jr., interim president of Bates Technical College. “We are
delighted that PRC and KEXP will ensure that KBTC remains a public radio station. Selling the station
allows us to better focus on training students in our public television operation as well as on the overall
educational mission of the college.”
“PRC has worked with educational institutions and broadcasters for several years to secure new channels
for public radio.” explained Marc Hand, managing director of Public Radio Capital. “There is no public
radio owner in a position right now to make this purchase. Just as the Trust for Public Land steps in to
buy a property to preserve land for public enjoyment, this was an opportunity we needed to act on to
preserve this station for public service broadcasting.”
Tom Mara, executive director of KEXP 90.3 FM, added, “We are just tickled that our current listeners
will now hear us from Everett to Olympia and that our programming will now cover 1.2
million more people in South King County, Tacoma and Olympia. KEXP has a long history of
supporting local musicians. This will help us work even more closely with artists in these musically-rich communities with remote broadcasts, live performances and interviews. We applaud Bates Technical
College for its vision to keep KBTC in public radio, and we are glad to work with PRC to extend our
eclectic music format to listeners throughout the area.”
The station’s call letters will be changed to KXOT 91.7 FM. Symbolically, the O and T pay tribute to
Olympia and Tacoma, respectively. The X reflects the relationship to KEXP.
KXOT 91.7 FM is scheduled to begin broadcasting on Monday March 8, 2004 at 9:17 a.m. during the
John In The Morning show featuring KEXP morning host John Richards.
To help celebrate KEXP's new presence in the South Sound, the station is producing two live
commemorative broadcasts from Tacoma music clubs.
On Friday March 12, KEXP's afternoon DJ Amanda Wilde broadcasts live from 4-6 p.m. from the historic
teapot-shaped Java Jive. Afterwards, from 6-9 p.m., KEXP's rockabilly show, Shake The Shack, takes to
the air with Leon Berman. On Saturday March 13 at 6 p.m., KEXP's three-hour local music showcase,
Audioasis, broadcasts live from Hell's Kitchen, with an all-ages show headlined by These Arms are
Snakes. Doors open at 5 p.m.
Listeners may contact KEXP for more information by emailing info@kexp.org.
PRC is purchasing KBTC from Bates Technical College for $5 million. The sale is expected to close in
late spring, and KEXP will begin programming the station through a short-term programming agreement
while PRC completes financing for the purchase and necessary approvals from the Federal
Communications Commission.
ABOUT PUBLIC RADIO CAPITAL
Public Radio Capital (PRC) has a primary purpose: to partner with educational institutions and public
broadcasters to broaden the reach of public radio to millions of listeners. PRC has already achieved
results with public radio stations secured in Albany, Baltimore, Denver, Frederick (Maryland), Nashville,
Portland (Oregon), Sacramento, and outside Boston and Chicago. These channels represent partnerships
with educational institutions and local public broadcasters to build stronger public radio program services
for larger and growing audiences. Other projects will result in new arrangements and program services in
at least 15 other states within the next few years.
ABOUT BATES TECHNICAL COLLEGE
Bates Technical College is a public, accredited state college, and the largest technical college in
Washington State. The college serves more than 22,000 students annually in career training programs,
continuing education, apprenticeship training, business and management programs, home and family life
classes, high school completion, Running Start, and adult basic skills training. Bates is one of only two
Washington State colleges to offer an educational guarantee to employers, assuring that job skills are
learned as covered in the college competency checklist.
ABOUT KEXP 90.3 FM
KEXP 90.3 FM is a public radio station in Seattle with a mission to enrich people’s lives with a unique
wide and deep approach to music programming. Knowledgeable hosts hand-pick music including indie
rock, world music, blues, jazz, hip hop and electronic from its collection of approximately 500,000 titles.
The station also broadcasts more than 250 live performances each year. KEXP programming is also heard
on the web at KEXP.org. KEXP 90.3 FM is governed by Friends of KEXP, an independent non-profit
organization with an agreement to operate 90.3 FM on behalf of the University of Washington which
holds the FCC license.
