page_title: KEXP-FM
section_title: Early years as KCMU
hierarchical_section_title: KEXP-FM / History / Early years as KCMU
caption_attribution_description: Tom Mara, Executive Director/CEO of radio station KEXP, at the launch of "Seattle, City of Music", Paramount Theater, Seattle, Washington.
context_page_description: KEXP-FM is a public radio station in Seattle, Washington, that specializes in alternative and indie rock programmed by its disc jockeys. Its broadcasting license is owned by Friends of KEXP, an independent 501 organization. There are weekly programs dedicated to other musical genres, including rockabilly, blues, world music, hip hop, electronica, punk, and alternative country. Live, in-studio performances by artists are also regularly scheduled.
  KEXP's studios are located at Seattle Center.
  KEXP also broadcasts on Intelsat's Galaxy 18 satellite. Music licensing fees associated with internet radio are covered by the station's affiliation with National Public Radio.
context_section_description: Groundwork for the station that would eventually become KEXP began in 1971, started by University of Washington undergraduates John Kean, Cliff Noonan, Victoria ("Tory") Fiedler, and Brent Wilcox. The university owns NPR affiliate 94.9 KUOW-FM, but that station is staffed mostly by professional announcers and newscasters. The four students convinced the Communications Department to provide space and funding for a station to be run by students.  They assembled the turntables and operating equipment, built their own console cabinets, successfully petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a frequency and a license, and ultimately raised their own antenna. The 10-watt signal "barely reached the Ave" (the commercial heart of Seattle's University District).
  In 1972, the station started operations as KCMU. It aired mostly progressive rock and new wave music, with UW students serving as staff members and disc jockeys (DJs), broadcasting at 90.5 MHz.  The "CMU" in the call sign referred to the campus's Communications Building, where its studios and offices were located.
  In 1981, under the direction of Jon Kertzer, KCMU began soliciting donations from listeners due to limited funding from the university. Throughout the late 1980s, the station tapped into Seattle's burgeoning music scene. Members of local bands Soundgarden and Mudhoney worked as volunteer DJs, as did both Jonathan Poneman and Bruce Pavitt, the founders of Sub Pop. During these years, Billboard Magazine called KCMU "one of the most influential commercial-free stations in the country."
  In 1982, the station's power increased to 182 watts, allowing it to be heard outside the University District. From 1983 to 1985, Kerry Loewen became KCMU's station manager.  Loewen had previously managed KFJC, at Foothill College, in California.
  In late 1985, Chris Knab, who co-founded the record label 415 Records and was a former owner of Aquarius Records in San Francisco, sold his interest in 415 Records and became KCMU's station manager.  Knab moved the station away from mostly rock programming, adding jazz, hip hop, world music and other genres to its lineup.
  In 1986, KCMU switched frequencies to 90.3 MHz and increased its transmitter power to 400 watts, improving its broadcast radius to 15 miles.
caption: Executive director Tom Mara
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