KERA (FM)

KERA
Site of KERA-FM's studios and offices, located just north of downtown Dallas. (Its co-owned stations KERA-TV and KKXT-FM are also located here.)
Broadcast areaDallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
Tyler
Sherman
Wichita Falls
Frequency90.1 MHz
BrandingKERA 90.1
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatNews/Talk (Public)
AffiliationsNPR
PRX
American Public Media
BBC World Service
Ownership
OwnerNorth Texas Public Broadcasting
KERA-TV, KKXT, WRR (FM)
History
First air date
April 19, 1973 (as KZAG)
Former call signs
KZAG (1973-1974)
Call sign meaning
A new ERA in broadcasting
Technical information
Facility ID49323
ClassC0
ERP30,000 watts
HAAT571.7 meters (1,876 ft)
Translator(s)See § Translator
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitekera.org/radio

KERA (90.1 MHz) is a National Public Radio member FM station serving North Texas, United States.[1] KERA also relays its programming to three separate FM relay translators, extending the coverage area of KERA's programming into the Sherman-Denison area, Wichita Falls, and Tyler.

Transmitter/Translators[edit]

Broadcast translators for KERA
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class FCC info Notes
K261CW 100.1 FM Tyler, Texas 26620 250 96.1 m (315 ft) D LMS First airdate: April 19, 1993 (as 99.1 K256AB)
K202DR 88.3 FM Wichita Falls, Texas 49329 250 84.4 m (277 ft) D LMS First airdate: January 16, 1998 (as 88.7 K204CB)
K257EV 99.3 FM Sherman, Texas 144426 170 94.2 m (309 ft) D LMS First airdate: June 26, 2007

KERA is based in Dallas, and the station's main transmitter is located in Cedar Hill, Texas with translators that serve Tyler (K261CW, 100.1 FM), the Sherman/Denison area (K257EV, 99.3 FM), and Wichita Falls (K202DR, 88.3 FM). It was also rebroadcast on the Public, educational, and government access (PEG) cable tv channel, Irving Community Television Network during its off-air times prior to 2009.

Programming[edit]

KERA FM has a news and information format that includes national programs, reports and specials from the KERA newsroom and other original productions. CEO also has a television version that broadcasts on KERA-TV.

Anything You Ever Wanted To Know live broadcasting
Anything You Ever Wanted To Know hosted by Jeff Whittington live broadcasting at the State Fair of Texas on September 30, 2016.

KERA FM's on-air staff includes Morning Edition host Sam Baker, All Things Considered host Justin Martin, and reporters Stella Chavez, Christopher Connelly, Lauren Silverman, Jerome Weeks and Bill Zeeble.

NPR[edit]

KERA is an NPR member station and carries NPR programming.

KERA News[edit]

Signature series[edit]

KERA News Digital Storytelling projects provide an in-depth look at the people of Texas — the crises they endure, the issues they overcome and the triumphs they achieve.

Think[edit]

The KERA production Think, hosted by Krys Boyd, features guests, often authors or speechmakers, who discuss intellectual or intriguing topics with Ms. Boyd, usually supplemented by call-in comments and questions. The show's host and crew have traveled to Washington, D.C., yearly since 2015 to broadcast live from NPR headquarters. Notable guests during Think in D.C. have included Michael Eric Dyson and U.S. Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn.[2]

As of October 2021, Think is carried live in its midday time slot by 151 radio stations in Texas, Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia, and Washington State.[3]

History[edit]

KERA FM went on the air in July 1974, serving Dallas, Fort Worth and Denton with a mix of news and music programming. The station has since expanded its broadcast into Wichita Falls (88.3), Tyler (100.1), and Sherman (99.3). KERA FM switched to a news and information format in 2000, with an emphasis on the in-depth news programs and thoughtful conversations that make public radio unique. In 2014, KERA expanded its news department, leading to a surge in local reporting. Since this expansion, hundreds of KERA stories have broadcast nationally and internationally by NPR, PRI and the BBC.

KERA Radio's previous ident used from 2000 until January 2016.

Prior to the launch of KXT 91.7 FM, KERA FM aired locally produced music program 90.1 at Night hosted by Paul Slavens, which aired Sunday nights from 8:00pm until 10:00pm. The program was moved to their newly acquired sister station KXT and was renamed The Paul Slavens Show. With that move, KERA FM transitioned to a full-time News/Talk format.

From 2012 until April 2018, KERA has enjoyed a news partnership with NBC-owned television station KXAS-Channel 5 in Fort Worth. This was a part of a larger partnership effort between all of the NBC owned-and-operated stations and nonprofit news organizations in their communities, a byproduct of the Comcast-NBCUniversal merger which took place in 2011. The content has since then moved to Audacy-owned news station KRLD 1080 AM.

The station's call letters, which are said to represent a "new era in broadcasting," are shared with Dallas public television station KERA-TV channel 13; both are owned by North Texas Public Broadcasting Inc., a non-profit corporation registered in the state of Texas. While there is cross-promotion between stations, each operates its own pledge drives.

Station slogans[edit]

  • Radio Worth Listening To (1990s-2001)
  • Radio Unlimited (2001–2009)
  • Go Public. (2016–present)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "About | KERA". www.kera.org. 19 November 2010. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  2. ^ "Think in D.C." Think. Retrieved 2017-05-09.
  3. ^ "Where to Listen". 10 January 2017. Retrieved 2021-10-13.

External links[edit]

32°35′2.5″N 96°57′49″W / 32.584028°N 96.96361°W / 32.584028; -96.96361