KDRW

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title: "KDRW" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["npr-member-stations", "public-radio-stations-in-the-united-states", "radio-stations-of-the-university-of-southern-california", "1985-establishments-in-california", "radio-stations-established-in-1985", "culture-of-santa-barbara,-california"] topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KDRW" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox radio station"]

Field	Value
name	KDRW
above	Simulcasts KCRW, Santa Monica, CA
city	Santa Barbara, California
country	US
area	Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties
branding	KCRW Santa Barbara
frequency
affiliations	NPR
airdate
format	Public radio and talk
erp	12,000 watts
haat	264 m
class	B
facility_id	69085
coordinates
callsign_meaning	Disambiguation of parent station KCRW
former_callsigns
owner	Santa Monica Community College District
webcast
website
licensing_authority	FCC
::

| name = KDRW | above = Simulcasts KCRW, Santa Monica, CA | logo = | city = Santa Barbara, California | country = US | area = Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties | branding = KCRW Santa Barbara | frequency =
| affiliations = NPR | airdate = | format = Public radio and talk | erp = 12,000 watts | haat = 264 m | class = B | facility_id = 69085 | coordinates = | callsign_meaning = Disambiguation of parent station KCRW | former_callsigns = | owner = Santa Monica Community College District | licensee = | webcast = | website = | licensing_authority = FCC

KDRW (88.7 FM) is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Santa Barbara, California, United States. Owned by Santa Monica College, it operates as a simulcast of KCRW, with occasional programming originated locally from its studios on the campus of Antioch University Santa Barbara.

KDRW's transmitter is sited off Gibraltar Road in Santa Barbara, and broadcasts in HD Radio.

History

In January 1985, the station signed on as KSCA. Owned by the University of Southern California (USC), the non-commercial KSCA broadcast classical music programming as a simulcast of KUSC. The call letters changed to KFAC in 1991, then to KQSC in 2004.

In February 2014, public radio station KCRW, based in Santa Monica, California, purchased Santa Barbara classical station KDB for $1 million. The acquisition allowed KCRW to extend its reach into the Santa Barbara area. With the Santa Barbara market facing the possible elimination of classical radio programming, USC purchased KDB and that station began relaying KUSC's programming. Upon closing the transaction on August 27, 2014 — a deal which also saw KQSC going to KCRW — KQSC changed its call sign to KDRW-FM and began simulcasting KCRW. The station's call letters changed again on October 1, 2014, to simply KDRW.

Unlike a typical repeater station that simply rebroadcasts its parent station's programming, KDRW offers some locally originated programming. The station's Santa Barbara studios are located on the campus of Antioch University Santa Barbara. Local news reports are made in cooperation with the Santa Barbara Independent weekly newspaper and a local nonprofit organization specializing in investigative journalism.

References

References

1. "Station Search Details: KDRW". [[Federal Communications Commission]].
2. (1986). "Directory of Radio Stations in the United States and Canada". Broadcasting Publications Inc..
3. (1991). "Directory of Radio Stations in the United States and Canada". Broadcasting Publications Inc..
4. (2005). "Directory of Radio Stations in the United States". R.R. Bowker.
5. Faughnder, Ryan. (February 18, 2014). "KCRW buying Santa Barbara classical station KDB". Los Angeles Times.

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