KALW Public Radio

KALW 91.7FM provides more than 150,000 people in the San Francisco Bay Area with national and international reporting from NPR and BBC, as well as locally produced news and cultural programming. Bay Area arts reporting has emerged as a central component of KALW’s activity, with increased airtime devoted to programs such as Crosscurrents, which features stories about, and music from, local musicians. As print coverage of the arts decreases as regional newspapers falter, our support for this organization becomes more important to maintaining the visibility of Bay Area artists, arts organizations, and cultural activities. This grant to KALW would help the station maintain its arts coverage, continue to grow its digital media presence, and pilot exciting new artistic projects.

KALW 91.7FM San Francisco is the oldest public radio station west of the Mississippi River. KALW's broadcast coverage reaches San Francisco, the Peninsula, East Bay, and portions of Marin County with an estimated listening audience of 150,000 people. The station offers national and international reporting from NPR and BBC, as well as locally produced news coverage, and political and cultural programming. Since 2006 KALW has received Hewlett Foundation funding for its Public Service Reporting Project consisting of arts reporting that profiles local arts organizations and individual artists. The project has demonstrated success thus far in increasing listenership and membership. It has also increased the number of stories about local artists and arts organizations from 22 in 2004 to 40 in 2007 and music by local groups concludes everday’s news show. Support of this capacity building grant would allow KALW’s Holly Kernan, to hire a development associate to pursue insitutional funding opportunities and provide more time for Ms. Kernan to perform her primary responsibilties as the station’s chief programmer and News Director.