L-A Radio: KCSN, KSPR Merge To Launch The New 88.5

A long-simmering, long-distance courtship between two humble members of the Southern California radio community will culminate Tuesday in a marriage that aims to create a new power couple in the hyper-competitive world of Los Angeles radio.

KSBR 88.5 FM 6 Kw

According to The LATimes, the two noncommercial stations soon to be united are KCSN-FM, based at Cal State Northridge, and KSBR-FM at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo in south Orange County, both of which have been operating for years on the same 88.5 FM frequency.

The joint agreement to share programming will bring the adult album alternative (AAA) format that KCSN has developed in recent years to a potential audience of 11 million listeners, according to KCSN general manager and program director Sky Daniels, making it one of the most ambitious expansions of a broadcast operation’s reach in public radio history.

Sheryl Crow will headline an Oct. 23 concert at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood to raise awareness — and money — for the new entity.

KCSN 88.5 FM 37-watts

Until now, KCSN and KSBR have been within earshot of about 1 million listeners apiece. By combining forces, the stations’ signals will span a region from Santa Clarita to San Clemente, Daniels said.

The intent is to transform what has been a signal interference problem in the large middle ground between the stations into a significant advantage for both.

The shared programming deal stands to allow them to compete more effectively with higher-profile noncommercial outlets such as KCRW-FM (89.9) and KPCC-FM (89.3) as well as the plethora of commercial stations that rule the all-important Nielsen audience surveys.

The stations will switch to joint broadcast on Tuesday at 10 a.m., during the morning program of veteran radio host Nic Harcourt, who moved to KCSN from his former longtime home at KCRW in Santa Monica.

The combined operation will use “The New 88.5 FM” as the station ID and brand.