KXPR

KXPR
Sacramento, California;
Broadcast area	Sacramento metropolitan area
Frequency	88.9 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding	88.9 KXPR
Programming
Format	Classical
Affiliations	National Public Radio
Ownership
Owner	California State University, Sacramento
Sister stations	KXJZ
History
First air date	January 24, 1979; 45 years ago
Former frequencies	91.5 MHz (1979–1984); 90.9 MHz (1984–2006)
Call sign meaning	eXcellence in Public Radio
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	8358
Class	B
ERP	50,000 watts
HAAT	97 meters (318 ft)
Repeater(s)	88.7 KXJS (Sutter); 91.7 KXSR (Groveland); 90.9 KXJZ-HD2 (Sacramento)
Links
Public license information	Public file; LMS;
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	capradio.org

KXPR (88.9 FM) is a non-commercial, listener-supported public radio station in Sacramento, California, airing a classical music format. Along with sister station KXJZ 90.9 FM, they are known as Capital Public Radio or "CapRadio." Both stations are owned by California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State), and share studios along Folsom Boulevard on campus.

KXPR is a Class B station. It has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 50,000 watts, the maximum for most stations in the Sacramento area. The transmitter is on Eagles Nest Road at Florin Road in Rancho Cordova.^[2] Programming is simulcast on 91.7 KXSR in Groveland-Sonora and on 88.7 KXJS in Sutter-Yuba City. While KXPR broadcasts using HD Radio technology, it has no HD2 or HD3 digital subchannels.^[3]

Programming

Most of the day, KXPR broadcasts classical music. On weekday and Sunday evenings, it airs jazz. And on weekends, there are specialty shows including The Thistle and Shamrock, Sunday Baroque and From The Top. Metropolitan Opera broadcasts are heard on Saturday afternoons in season. KXPR is a member station of NPR.

History

The station signed on the air on January 24, 1979; 45 years ago (1979-01-24).^[4] At the time, the call sign was KYDS, owned by the San Juan Unified School District. It allowed students considering a career in broadcasting to host shows and learn about radio. It broadcast on 91.5 MHz and was powered at only 300 watts, a fraction of its current output. The station moved to 90.9 MHz in 1984.

Eventually it was acquired by Capital Public Radio. At that time, CapRadio owned only one station, 88.9 KXJZ, which had a mixed schedule with NPR news and information programming along with classical and jazz music. CapRadio acquired the second station so one could concentrate on news and the other could provide classical and jazz music around the clock. In 2006, the stations swapped signals to their current configuration.

KXPR's powerful signal of 50,000 watts can reach both the Sacramento and Stockton areas fairly easily as the location of its transmitter is about 10 miles (16 km) from Sacramento and 35 miles (56 km) from Stockton. KXPR is also heard on rebroadcaster stations in the Yuba City area on 88.7 KXJS and in the Central Sierra on 91.7 KXSR.

Past shows

Past shows from KXPR's schedule included At the Opera with host Sean Bianco, Sound and Spirit with host Ellen Kushner, Harmonia (with the accent on the third of four syllables), and Musical Stages.