KCPR

Last updated
KCPR
Broadcast area San Luis Obispo County, California
Frequency 91.3 MHz
BrandingCal Poly Radio - 91.3 FM
Programming
Format Campus radio
Ownership
Owner California Polytechnic State University
History
First air date
1968
Call sign meaning
K Cal Poly Radio
Technical information
Facility ID 8324
Class A
ERP 310 watts
HAAT 432 meters (1,417 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
 type:city 35°21′38.00″N120°39′21.00″W / 35.3605556°N 120.6558333°W / 35.3605556; -120.6558333
Links
Webcast Listen Live
Website kcpr.org

KCPR (91.3 FM) is a non-commercial radio station that is licensed to San Luis Obispo, California. Owned by California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo, the station is operated by students from its on-campus studio located in the Graphic Arts building. In addition to its FM broadcast, KCPR streams its programming online 24 hours a day and has established a growing social media audience.

Contents

KCPR is known for launching the careers of several entertainers and public figures, including musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, comedian Eric Schwartz, and news reporter David Kerley.

History

KCPR debuted in August 1968, making its first broadcast with a small two-watt transmitter. [1] According to station lore, the first words spoken on-air were, "Is this the damn switch?" [2] However, an archived version of KCPR's website from 2000 holds the station's first words to be, "How the hell do you turn this thing on?" [3]

Cal Poly professor and former KCPR disc jockey Jim Cushing describes the station's musical philosophy as "to provide people with a blend of music that they will not find on any other station, to remind people that the musical culture belongs to them". [4] Among the programs that have anchored the KCPR program schedule for years include The Breakfast Club, Afternoon Delight, The Comedown, The Lounge, and Club 91.

Musician Alfred "Weird Al" Yankovic served as a disc jockey at KCPR while attending Cal Poly in the late 1970s as an undergraduate architecture student. [5] He recorded his iconic parody song "My Bologna" on campus in the bathroom across the hall from the station's original location on the second floor of the Graphic Arts Building (Building 26). [4] [6] Yankovic returned to Cal Poly in the 1990s for an interview and recorded a station identification for KCPR. [7]

KCPR is branded as "Cal Poly Radio". Previously, it was known as "Burnt Dog Radio", an axiom that is reflected in one of the station's early logo designs that featured the RCA Victor dog. [8] A logo from the 1980s shows the RCA dog with its head blown off, next to a speaker, and a dog bowl labeled KCPR. Presumably, the loud music is what caused the RCA dog's head to explode, a visual representation of the alternative direction that KCPR took after abandoning its top 40 format in 1983. [9]

In the summer of 2008, KCPR moved to a new studio in the same building after 39 years of continuous operation. [4]

In 2017, Great Value Colleges, a consumer resource website for prospective university students, selected KCPR as one of its top 30 college radio stations in the United States. [10] [11]

Promotions

Occasionally, KCPR hosts concerts at SLO Brew in downtown San Luis Obispo. Some notable artists have performed at these shows, including Jorja Smith and The Strokes. [12]

During the 2017–2018 academic year, KCPR began hosting Club 91 events at Underground Brewing Company in downtown San Luis Obispo. Club 91 features live music played by KCPR student DJs.

Notable personalities

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Luis Obispo, California</span> City in California, United States

San Luis Obispo is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, in the U.S. state of California. Located on the Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfway between the San Francisco Bay Area in the north and Greater Los Angeles in the south. The population was 47,063 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo</span> Public university in San Luis Obispo, California

California Polytechnic State University is a public university in San Luis Obispo, California, United States. Founded in 1901, It is the oldest of three polytechnic universities within the California State University system. Cal Poly emphasizes a “learn by doing” philosophy, integrating hands-on, practical experiences into its curriculum. As of Fall 2022, Cal Poly had approximately 21,000 undergraduate and 800 graduate students. Cal Poly is well-regarded for its undergraduate programs, having been ranked 1st among Regional Universities in the Western US in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report rankings. The university is home to several nationally recognized programs, particularly in engineering, architecture, and business, with the College of Engineering and the Orfalea College of Business standing out for their academic excellence and industry connections. Most of the university's athletic teams participate in the Big West Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California State Polytechnic University, Pomona</span> Public university in Pomona, California

California State Polytechnic University Pomona, is a public polytechnic university in Pomona, California. It is the largest of the three polytechnic universities in the California State University system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Bologna</span> 1979 single by "Weird Al" Yankovic

"My Bologna" is the debut single by American musical parody artist "Weird Al" Yankovic, originally released in December 1979. It is a parody of the Knack's hit song "My Sharona". Yankovic originally wrote the lyrics while he attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California; the original version of the parody was recorded in a bathroom across the hall from the campus radio station, KCPR, at which Yankovic had worked as a DJ. The title refers to Bologna sausage, specifically the Oscar Mayer brand popular in the United States. Yankovic sent "My Bologna" to Dr. Demento, who aired the song on his nationwide radio program, The Dr. Demento Show. The song was a hit on the program, and eventually gained the number one spot on Dr. Demento's "Funny Five" countdown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert A. Mott Athletics Center</span> Indoor arena in California Polytechnic State University

The Robert A. Mott Athletics Center is a 3,032-seat, indoor multi-purpose arena on the campus of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex G. Spanos Stadium</span> California stadium

Mustang Memorial Field, formerly known as Mustang Stadium and then Alex G. Spanos Stadium, is an 11,075-seat multi-purpose stadium located on the campus of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. It is the home field of the Cal Poly Mustangs football and soccer teams.

Paul David Kerley III, known professionally as David Kerley, is an American journalist who is a correspondent for ABC News in Washington, D.C.

The "P" is a 50-by-30-foot landmark located atop a northwestern hill of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California. Its creation dates back to the early 1900s, and it has remained on the same hillside ever since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cal Poly Mustangs baseball</span> American college baseball team

The Cal Poly Mustangs baseball team represents California Polytechnic State University, which is located in San Luis Obispo, California. The Mustangs are an NCAA Division I college baseball program, and along with the other Cal Poly athletic teams with the exception of swimming, wrestling, indoor track and football, the baseball team competes in the Big West Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cal Poly Mustangs</span> Sports teams of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

The Cal Poly Mustangs are the athletic teams representing California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. The university fields twenty-two teams and compete in NCAA Division I; they are primarily members of the Big West Conference, but the football team plays in the Big Sky Conference, the wrestling team is an associate member of the Pac-12 Conference, and the swimming and diving program competes as an affiliate member in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

Julian Aeneas McPhee was the sixth university president of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo from 1933 to 1966 and the first president of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona from 1938 to 1966.

The 1952 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic State College—now known as California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo—as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) during the 1952 college football season. Led by third-year head coach LeRoy Hughes, Cal Poly compiled an overall record of 7–3 with a mark of 4–0 in conference play, winning the CCAA title. The Mustangs played home games at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California.

The 1923 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic School—now known as California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo—as a member of the California Coast Conference (CCC) during the 1923 college football season. Led by third-year head coach Al Agosti, Cal Poly compiled an overall record of 3–3 with a mark of 2–1 in conference play. The team was outscored by its opponents 82 to 36 for the season. The Mustangs played home games in San Luis Obispo, California.

The 1929 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic School—now known as California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo—as a member of the California Coast Conference (CCC) during the 1929 college football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Al Agosti, Cal Poly compiled am overall record of 3–5 with a mark of 0–2 in conference play. The team was outscored by its opponents 146 to 130 for the season. The Mustangs played home games in San Luis Obispo, California.

The 1931 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic School—now known as California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo—as a member of the Northern California Junior College Conference (NCJCC) during the 1931 junior college football season. Led by tenth-year head coach Al Agosti, Cal Poly compiled an overall record of record of 3–5–1, with a mark of 3–2 in conference play, placing third in the NCJCC. The team was outscored by its opponents 152 to 51 for the season. The Mustangs played home games in San Luis Obispo, California.

The 1932 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic School—now known as California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo—as an independent during the 1932 college football season. Led by Al Agosti in his 11th and final season as head coach, Cal Poly compiled a record of 4–4. The team outscored its opponents 117 to 103 for the season. The Mustangs played home games in San Luis Obispo, California.

The 1933 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic School—now known as California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo—as an independent during the 1933 college football season. Led by first-year head coach Howie O'Daniels, Cal Poly compiled a record of 7–0. The team outscored its opponents 73 to 0 the season. The Mustangs played home games in San Luis Obispo, California.

The 1934 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic School—now known as California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo—as an independent during the 1934 college football season. Led by second-year head coach Howie O'Daniels, Cal Poly compiled a record of 6–2. The team outscored its opponents 115 to 14 for the season. The Mustangs played home games in San Luis Obispo, California.

The 1935 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic School—now known as California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo—as an independent during the 1935 college football season. Led by third-year head coach Howie O'Daniels, Cal Poly compiled a record of 5–2–1. The team outscored its opponents 92 to 35 for the season and had four shutout wins. The Mustangs played home games at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California.

References

  1. ↑ "Campus radio goes on the air". Cal Poly Student Newspaper. 1 (5). San Luis Obispo, California: Associated Students of California Polytechnic College. 2 August 1968.
  2. ↑ Brown, Brad. "An interview with Brad Brown" (Interview).
  3. ↑ "KCPR 91.9 FM". Archived from the original on April 8, 2000. Retrieved May 11, 2006.
  4. 1 2 3 Mendonca, Kylie (November 25, 2008). "A long, strange trip". New Times. San Luis Obispo, California. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  5. 1 2 "'Weird Al' Yankovic: Cal Poly alum still getting laughs after 35 years". The Tribune . San Luis Obispo, California . Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  6. ↑ Nunez, Melissa (August 14, 2014). "From Cal Poly bathrooms to No. 1 on Billboard 200: Weird Al through the years". Mustang News. California Polytechnic State University. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  7. ↑ "KCPR Weird Al Promo". KCPR. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Cal Poly University, CA Radio Stations". Local Town. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  9. ↑ Mustang Daily, October 14, 1983, page eight
  10. ↑ Leslie, Kaytlyn (November 14, 2017). "Cal Poly's KCPR named one of the best college radio stations in the nation". The Tribune . San Luis Obispo, California . Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  11. ↑ "30 Amazing College Radio Stations 2017-2018". Great Value Colleges. 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  12. ↑ "The Strokes Setlist at Downtown Brewing Co., San Luis Obispo, CA, USA". Setlist.fm. August 6, 2001. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Cal Poly Alumni - Honored Alumni Dinner". www.calpolylink.com. Archived from the original on 2015-10-06.
  14. ↑ Momburg, Stacia. "Funny Boy". Cal Poly Magazine. San Luis Obispo, California: California Polytechnic State University. p. 11. Retrieved August 16, 2018.

35°21′40″N120°39′25″W / 35.361°N 120.657°W / 35.361; -120.657

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.