KAGU
Encyclopedia
KAGU is a classical music
radio station
run by Gonzaga University
in Spokane, Washington
. They broadcast at 88.7 MHz on the FM dial.
In its first year, KAGU was largely relegated to a radio format
of Adult contemporary music
with student reports of news and sports as live lab voice work. But in 1987–89 things changed with KAGU when student Station Managers John Hipp, Steve MacCorkle & Ken Schiele developed radio shows that were depictive of cutting edge college radio. By year's end in 1988 there was a renaissance of student shows that stand as some of the station's most creative and exciting productions. Among the repertoire were live sports broadcasts, live speaker series, live theatre audiocasts, live weekly music shows, and student-sponsored music genre shows. Notable among the broadcasts at the time were the shows Folk Stew which showcased live Spokane, Washington regional folk and blues musicians, the Cork the Tuna's Skipped Grooves show on which Steve MacCorkle brought the edge of his bay area roots and love for alternative new wave and punk tunes, and John Hipp's show The Hipster Radio Identity Crisis which was a cornucopia of musical treasures & Dead Before Midnight featuring Live Grateful Dead bootlegs. These are notable examples of the early days of KAGU, but there were other student shows which also added to the vibe and fabric of the exciting first years of the station.
A marketing high point was achieved when the infamous trailer "Fish For Breakfast" was broadcast in 1994. The concept was simple: the voiceover stated "Fish For Breakfast, and KAGU every night. That's the way it oughtta be!"
Daily programming included alternative rock
and specialty shows from 7 AM to midnight.
In late 2004
, the KAGU transmitter and antennae were moved from atop the GU Administration Building to the KHQ-TV tower site on Tower Mountain in southeast Spokane. Also, KAGU’s power was boosted from 100 watts to 5,000 watts. Currently, the KAGU signal reaches a 60-mile radius from Tower Mountain.
The station currently follows a commercial-free, all-classical music
radio format.
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
run by Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University is a private Roman Catholic university located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Founded in 1887 by the Society of Jesus, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and is named after the young Jesuit saint, Aloysius Gonzaga...
in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
. They broadcast at 88.7 MHz on the FM dial.
History
Prior to its switch to all-classical, it was a college rock station through the late 1990s. Billing itself as the "hundred-thousand milliwatt zippo of the River City", KAGU broadcast a 100 watt signal throughout Spokane. Other slogans included "your only alternative" and "proletariat and bourgeoisie alike agree!"In its first year, KAGU was largely relegated to a radio format
Radio format
A radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve...
of Adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence, as well as a radio format that plays such music....
with student reports of news and sports as live lab voice work. But in 1987–89 things changed with KAGU when student Station Managers John Hipp, Steve MacCorkle & Ken Schiele developed radio shows that were depictive of cutting edge college radio. By year's end in 1988 there was a renaissance of student shows that stand as some of the station's most creative and exciting productions. Among the repertoire were live sports broadcasts, live speaker series, live theatre audiocasts, live weekly music shows, and student-sponsored music genre shows. Notable among the broadcasts at the time were the shows Folk Stew which showcased live Spokane, Washington regional folk and blues musicians, the Cork the Tuna's Skipped Grooves show on which Steve MacCorkle brought the edge of his bay area roots and love for alternative new wave and punk tunes, and John Hipp's show The Hipster Radio Identity Crisis which was a cornucopia of musical treasures & Dead Before Midnight featuring Live Grateful Dead bootlegs. These are notable examples of the early days of KAGU, but there were other student shows which also added to the vibe and fabric of the exciting first years of the station.
A marketing high point was achieved when the infamous trailer "Fish For Breakfast" was broadcast in 1994. The concept was simple: the voiceover stated "Fish For Breakfast, and KAGU every night. That's the way it oughtta be!"
Daily programming included alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
and specialty shows from 7 AM to midnight.
In late 2004
2004 in radio
The year 2004 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting history.-Events:*30 October - In the UK a 163-metre-high radio mast at Peterborough collapses in a fire.-Debuts:...
, the KAGU transmitter and antennae were moved from atop the GU Administration Building to the KHQ-TV tower site on Tower Mountain in southeast Spokane. Also, KAGU’s power was boosted from 100 watts to 5,000 watts. Currently, the KAGU signal reaches a 60-mile radius from Tower Mountain.
The station currently follows a commercial-free, all-classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
radio format.