KRCB expands its reach with 104.9 FM

On Friday, May 14, Sonoma County’s public radio station KRCB FM began broadcasting on a new frequency: 104.9 FM.
“We are now truly Sonoma County’s NPR Station,” said Northern California Media’s President and CEO Darren LaShelle. “With this expanded coverage, we aim to serve everyone in the county, highlighting established and emerging Sonoma County musicians and providing more news coverage of local politics, issues, and fire season breaking news.”
Earlier this year, Northern California Public Media purchased KDHT-FM 104.9, a pop station, from the Amaturo Media Group.
104.9 has a huge signal that reaches virtually all of Sonoma County plus northern Novato and western portions of Napa County. It’s a big change for KRCB, Sonoma County’s only public radio station, which has limped along for years with a small and spotty signal on 91.1 and 90.9.
“For many years, the Board of Directors of NorCal Public Media has been looking for a solution to expand our reach beyond our small 91.1 radio signal,” LaShelle said. “After exploring multiple options, including HD radio partnerships and creating a chain of repeaters up and down the 101 corridor, it became obvious to all that the only way to grow our reach was to acquire a larger radio signal.”
“This purchase of 104.9 from Amaturo Sonoma Media Group made our dream of expansion possible,” LaShelle said. “We thank Amaturo Sonoma Media Group for considering our proposal, as they were not actually looking for a buyer. After the Kincade Fire destroyed our 91.1 tower, Amaturo could see that public radio in Sonoma County was in a vulnerable position and helped us make the expansion possible.”
LaShelle said the radio schedule on KRCB will remain mostly the same with a few exceptions. Mark Prell will continue to provide local news and information during NPR’s Morning Edition, while Brian Griffith will continue with his morning music show from 9 a.m. to noon. The Midday Music program with Doug Jayne will expand from noon to 3 p.m. Fresh Air with Terry Gross will move to 3 p.m. At 4 p.m., News Director Greta Mart will anchor Sonoma County news during All Things Considered.
NorCal Public Media will continue to broadcast the same radio programming on 91.1 and 90.9, but the call letters for those frequencies have been changed to KRCG. (And for those of you who are missing the K-Hits music programming from KDHT, that has moved to the 107.9 frequency and can be heard on that channel.)
So give KRCB a listen at its new home on 104.9 FM. If you like what you hear, become a supporting member by clicking www.krcb.org/join.