KALW Information

KALW 91.7 FM is a pioneering educational and community broadcast service licensed to the San Francisco Unified School District. On-air since September 1st, 1941, it is the first FM station west of the Mississippi. — a full thirty years older than NPR. KALW created the first FM broadcast training program in the country and it trained women in radio broadcasting during World War II. KALW continues this tradition with the Audio Academy, a 10-month, tuition-free journalism training program, as well as its summer podcast academy for teens and its Uncuffed radio training program inside San Quentin and Solano State Prisons. KALW has a track record of programming innovation: it was the first station in the Bay Area to air Fresh Air, This American Life, Snap Judgement and The Daily. It was also the first station to air the BBC in the Bay Area, and was for decades the BBC’s station of record in San Francisco. KALW is also the birthplace of 99 Percent Invisible and Radio Ambulante, and Snap Judgement’s Glynn Washington recorded his show’s demos at KALW’s studios. The origins of Ear Hustle can also be traced to KALW’s volunteer program at San Quentin State Prison. The station has been at the forefront of high-quality, socially minded radio from its inception. It remains deeply rooted in the Bay Area and its culture. The expansion into KALW@25thStreet in Oakland for the new DJ lineup is a testament to its dedication to all nine Bay Area counties where it broadcasts. KALW believes in creating and broadcasting stories that are social-justice minded and solutions-oriented. With its diverse leadership and staff, and the voices centered in the station’s on-air reporting, KALW is on a mission to inspire audiences and tell the human story in all its breadth and richness. Justice, equity, and community creation are at the heart of everything KALW does. The station is shaping public media’s future by building upon its legacy for innovation and what’s next, as well as by training, nur