| Broadcast area | Spokane metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 89.5 MHz |
| Branding | Kool 89.5 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Oldies |
| Affiliations | Compass Media Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Eastern Washington University (sale pending to Oldies Preservation Society) |
| Operator | Oldies Preservation Society |
| KPKL | |
| History | |
First air date | April 7, 1950 (on low power AM signal) November 11, 1963 (on 89.5 FM) |
Former call signs | KEWC-AM (1950-1963) [1] |
Call sign meaning | Eastern Washington University |
| Technical information [2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 18391 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 10,000 watts |
| HAAT | 429 meters (1,407 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | Official Website |
KEWU-FM (89.5 MHz, Kool 89.5) is a radio station, licensed to Cheney, Washington and serving the Spokane metropolitan area. The station, whose broadcast license is held by Eastern Washington University (EWU), has an effective radiated power of 10,000 watts. [3] Operated by the Oldies Preservation Society, who also operate for-profit Deer Park station KPKL (also serving the Spokane area), it broadcasts a format of oldies. [4] [5]
KEWU aired its first broadcast in 1950. [4] In the summer of 2023, the university announced it would cease operating the station. [1] The closedown was slated for the end of that year, but the process was ultimately extended into 2024 as EWU continued to operate the station with an automated feed supplemented by 10 hours of student-hosted shows during weekday morning drive-times in the interim. [6]
In late 2024, EWU's administration announced that the formal process of selling the station's license had begun and would end by mid-2025. In preparation, the university donated KEWU's music library to Spokane Public Radio. [7] On February 24, 2025, it was announced that an agreement was reached with the Oldies Preservation Society to buy the station. [8] Oldies Preservation Society began programming the station on October 1, 2025. [4] [5]
The university station went on the air on April 7, 1950, as KEWC, a 10-watt AM station. On November 11, 1963, the station moved to the FM Band as KEWU-FM. [1]
In 1986, the station's transmitting power was increased to 10,000 watts, and its format was changed to jazz. Since then, KEWU has featured more than 150 hours of classic and contemporary jazz weekly, while also expanding its offerings to include related genres, such as Big Band, Latin Jazz, and Blues. [4]
Over the years, the station has received recognition for the quality of its programming. In 2005 and 2015, JazzWeek magazine named KEWU the Best Small Market Jazz station in the U.S., while also honoring program director Elizabeth Farriss as the Best Small Market Jazz Programmer in 2005, 2009, and 2015. [4] [1]
In 2023, the university announced it would cease operating the station in a process that would ultimately last into 2024, when the sale of the station's license was formally announced with an intended mid-2025 completion. In preparation for the sale, the KEWU music library was donated to Spokane Public Radio, owner of the region's NPR member stations, in 2024. [1] [6] On February 24, 2025, it was announced that the station would be sold to the Oldies Preservation Society, operators of Deer Park-licensed KPKL, for $510,000 cash and $300,000 worth of underwriting. OPS planned to move KPKL's oldies format over to KEWU. [8] OPS's programming of the station with the oldies format began on October 1, 2025. [4] [5]