City | Flagstaff, Arizona |
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Broadcast area | Flagstaff, Arizona |
Branding | Arizona Public Radio |
Frequency | 88.7 MHz |
Translator(s) | see below |
Repeater(s) | 90.7 KNAA (Show Low) |
First air date | 1983 |
Format | News/Talk and Information, and Classical music |
ERP | 100,000 watts |
HAAT | 445 meters (1,460 ft) |
Class | C |
Facility ID | 49490 |
Transmitter coordinates | 34°58′7.00″N 111°30′24.00″W / 34.9686111°N 111.5066667°W |
Affiliations | National Public Radio, Public Radio International, American Public Media |
Owner | Northern Arizona University |
Sister stations | KPUB |
Webcast | Listen Live |
Website | knau.org |
KNAU (88.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting classical music and news/talk and information format, respectively. Licensed to Flagstaff, Arizona, United States, KNAU and its sister stations serve the northern Arizona area. The station is currently owned by Northern Arizona University and features programing from National Public Radio, Public Radio International, and American Public Media, among other content providers.
In its early days in the 1960s, it was an unlicensed, low power AM station, using cobbled-together, non-standard transmitting equipment located on the top of Sechrist Hall dormitory. The format of the station was nominally Top-40 and was entirely student-run, with oversight from a faculty adviser. It solicited advertising to supplement its operating budget. The additional revenue enabled the station to pay nominal salaries to several student staff members.
A prank on-air announcement dismissing classes early for Christmas break due to weather alerted the school's administration to the fact that many students listened to the station. Alarmed and fearing repercussions from higher authorities, in 1969 university officials disbanded the over-the-air feature, sending the signal through carrier current only to on-campus buildings, though that lasted but a few years.
The current KNAU signed on in 1983. Originally licensed as KAXR, it changed its call sign to KNAU before going on the air.