From a Sleepy Beach Campus to World Domination - KCRW Goes Global Next Week!

On August 24, the ever groundbreaking KCRW extends their reach even further with a brand new international web radio station! And this new twist is designed to make their previous programming look tame! On Labor Day, Sept 4, you can hear the fresh spankin new www.KCRWmusic.com on their terrestrial airwaves too.

As I strolled through the sunny Santa Monica College campus, things were pretty peaceful for summer break. But down a tiny staircase into the basement of Cayton Hall, and all of a sudden I was surrounded with the bristling of excitement and activity even as we were all hushed by the flashing red ‘On Air’ sign!!

This was the home of the world famous KCRW Radio station, with good reason for all the excitement, they were in the middle of their annual fund drive which lasts through August 21…but wait! There was even more reason for the feeling of giddy adventure that was shooting through the air like electricity. Morgan Wells, the new PR guru there was bursting with enthusiasm for their next big project: World domination! World Wide Web domination, to be more precise. As Morgan explained, “We already have an international presence, for example, Tokyo is our third largest audience other than LA!” Huh? Tokyo?! Presently KCRW already has a huge online following, in fact they are amongst the top 20 Webcasters world wide, with select streaming and archives.

But the new format will be a totally revamped Website to feature brand new full online real time programming, created exclusively for their web casting. Already known for their bold, no-holds barred formatting, apparently they have been holding back… the REAL barrier-busting will begin with KCRWmusic.com! “We have a free format now, we are 100% listener funded” Morgan continued, “but even here there are some limitations from the FCC! On the Web, we can be even more creative, even more cutting-edge!” But Nic Harcourt, the star of Morning Becomes Eclectic, isn’t skipping a beat. I asked him if he is going to play anything different on the new Web station, ‘Different? Me?” he answered with a sparkle in his eye, “No, I’m still going to be me!" KCRW is all listener funded and Nic explained "I wouldn't have even moved to California if it wasn't for this station!"

With a spirit of discovery and a keen eye on the future of media technology, trendsetting public radio station, 89.9 FM KCRW-Santa Monica expands its online presence with KCRWmusic.com. For the first time, KCRW star DJs like Nic Harcourt, Chris Douridas, Tom Schnabel, Jason Bentley, Garth Trinidad and Anne Litt will be back to back instead of spread out over different days and times. The station’s most influential programmers will produce their signature music shows exclusively for the Internet.

As one of the top 20 webcasters worldwide, KCRW puts the best of underground flavors, independent records and progressive major releases within reach 24/7. KCRWMusic.com boasts the same variety of cutting edge music that defines the station’s eclectic identity, featuring electronica to progressive pop, Latin alternative to modern soul, hip-hop, trip-hop, world music and more. A special element of KCRWMusic.com is “Today’s Top Tune,” a 24-hour-only downloadable song of the day, available on weekdays. KCRWMusic.com has a distinctly global feel, covering music, events and interesting content from around the world, but is infused with the flavor of Los Angeles. Soon, the station will add record reviews, global gig guides and other content to make KCRW Music.com a destination site for educated, culturally progressive music fans throughout the world. Like your stream the iTunes way? No problem! The KCRWmusic.com stream is also available through iTunes and AOL.

KCRW is ramping up groundbreaking international radio programming exchanges as part of their global focus. They had just polished off a trip to Europe to forge partnerships in London and Paris. They are presently doing playlist exchanges with BBC in London, and are even considering radio partnerships with more edgy UK radio presences such as Artrocker on Resonance FM in the UK.

To find out more or donate to KCRW, check out www.kcrw.com