KUOW (AM)

KUOW
Simulcast of KUOW-FM, Seattle
Frequency1340 kHz
BrandingKUOW 94.9
Programming
FormatNews/talk
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerUniversity of Washington[1]
OperatorKUOW Puget Sound Public Media
KUOW-FM
History
First air date
1985 (1985)
Former call signs
  • KCIG (1985)
  • KCIF (1985–1986)
  • KVSN (1986–2006)
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
20298
ClassC
Power1,000 watts unlimited
Transmitter coordinates
47°0′25″N 122°55′7″W / 47.00694°N 122.91861°W / 47.00694; -122.91861
Translator107.3 K297BK (Olympia)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitewww.kuow.org

KUOW (1340 AM, "News & Information") is a radio station broadcasting a news/talk format.[3] Licensed to Tumwater, Washington, United States, the station is owned by the University of Washington and operated by KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio. It features programming from American Public Media, National Public Radio (NPR), and Public Radio Exchange.[4] The station is a simulcast of sister station KUOW-FM.

The station first signed on the air in 1985 with the call letters KCIG. It was originally licensed to Tumwater, Washington, and operated as a local outlet for the Olympia metropolitan area.[5] Shortly after its debut, the station changed its call sign to KCIF in 1985, and then to KVSN in 1986.[6]

Under the KVSN identity, the station broadcast religious programming for two decades, serving as a Christian radio outlet for the South Sound region.[7] In 2006, the University of Washington purchased the station to expand the reach of its Seattle-based public radio service. On April 3, 2006, the station officially adopted the KUOW call sign, mirroring its sister station on 94.9 FM.[8]

Since the acquisition, the station has served as a full-time simulcast of KUOW-FM, providing NPR news and information programming to listeners in Thurston County who may have difficulty receiving the primary Seattle signal.[9] The station currently operates at a power of 1,000 watts, broadcasting 24 hours a day from its transmitter site in Tumwater.[10]

References

  1. ^ "AM Query Results -- Audio Division (FCC) USA". transition.fcc.gov.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KUOW". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Winter 2010. Archived from the original on March 1, 2010. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  4. ^ "KUOW Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  5. ^ "KUOW Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  6. ^ "Call Sign History: KUOW (Facility ID 20298)". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  7. ^ Venta, Lance (January 15, 2024). "AM Station Profile: KUOW Tumwater". RadioInsight. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  8. ^ "REC Networks: Call Sign Change KUOW". REC Networks. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  9. ^ "KUOW Program Schedule" (PDF). KUOW Public Radio. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  10. ^ "FCC AM Query: KUOW". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved December 21, 2025.