About KALW

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Peter Belanger

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KALW is a pioneer educational station licensed to the San Francisco Unified School District, broadcasting since September 1, 1941 – when it went on the air as the first FM signal west of the Mississippi.

After 75 years in service to this community, KALW is focused on creating the next generation of public media, bringing new voices to the air and reaching out to the diverse communities of the Bay Area.

Our Mission

KALW's mission is to create joyful, informative media that engages people across the divides in our community - economic, social, and cultural.

KALW: 75 Years of Innovation

In 2016, KALW celebrates 75 years on the air, making it one of the oldest FM stations in the country. From the beginning, KALW was a pioneering broadcaster, and for the past 40 years it has played an important role in the development of public radio. At 75, KALW continues to experiment and innovate, reflecting the spirit of this remarkable community.

1941: SF’s First FM

After demonstrating its experimental “frequency modulation” radio technology at the 1939-40 San Francisco International Exposition on Treasure Island, RCA sold its equipment and transmitter to the San Francisco public schools. In March of 1941, the FCC licensed KALW to go on the air as the first FM station west of the Mississippi. On September 1st, regular broadcasts begin from studios at Gompers High School. Early programs included "Operetta Gems," "Where To Go in San Francisco," "Luncheon Music" and "Know Your City Government."

1942: Women in Broadcasting

When World War II reduced the ranks of available radio and communications technicians, KALW took the lead in pioneering women's classes in code work, radio operation, and broadcasting. By 1942, ninety women were enrolled and involved in all aspects of radio. General Manager Kenneth Dragoo prophesied that the time would come when "people will think nothing of seeing women tinkering around with home radio sets, not to mention our juke boxes and pinball machines."

1952: TV, Too

KALW started training in television operations at its Gompers facility, which would become the first broadcast studios of KQED-TV in 1954. The KALW staff and the students in the training program were an important part of KQED's operations until that station moved to its own facilities in 1956. Then, KALW happily left TV behind.

1972: Introducing NPR

KALW is one the first stations to introduce National Public Radio to listeners, and broadcasts from the BBC World Service follow soon afterwards. (Enjoy the 1970s logo.)

1980: A Link to the World

KALW becomes the first noncommercial station in San Francisco to receive programs via the Public Radio Satellite System, making it possible for the station to air a much larger range of national and international programming.

1988: Fresh Air

KALW is the first San Francisco station to broadcast Fresh Air with Terry Gross. What is now one of the signature programs in public radio was at first distributed only on a weekly basis. Other programs that made their Bay Area debuts on KALW: Left Right & Center, Le Show, Snap Judgment, Sound Opinions, The State We’re In, The Tavis Smiley Show, This American Life, To the Best of Our Knowledge, and World Have Your Say.

2001: Local Public Radio

General Manager Nicole Sawaya makes the development of high-quality original programming a top priority. At a time when most broadcasters were cutting back on local production, KALW made investments and built partnerships that created a remarkable range of new shows, including Your Call, Philosophy Talk, Then & Now, New America Now, Out in the Bay, Music From Other Minds, and Explorations in Music.

2008: Crosscurrents

KALW began to develop its local news department from scratch in 2005, and it grew step-by-step, culminating in the launch of the daily local news show Crosscurrents in August of 2008. In 2009, SF Weekly named Crosscurrents the Bay Area’s “Best Local News Show”. Now, the news department receives multiple regional and national journalism awards on an annual basis, and it's also become a training ground for the next generation of public media journalists.