KNPR (88.9 MHz, "News 88.9") is a non-commercial, listener-supported, public radio station in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned by Nevada Public Radio and it airs news and talk programming from National Public Radio (NPR) and other public radio networks. The studios and offices are in the Donald W. Reynolds Broadcast Center on the campus of the College of Southern Nevada.[2]
KNPR is a Class C station. It has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 22,000 watts. The transmitter is on Potosi Mountain in Blue Diamond, Nevada.[3] Programming is simulcast on a network of repeater stations and FM translators around Nevada. KNPR broadcasts using HD Radio technology.[4] Its HD2 subchannel carries classical music from co-owned KCNV 89.7 FM.
KNPR carries a news and information format with most shows provided by NPR and other public radio networks. Weekday programs include Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Fresh Air, Here and Now, The World and Marketplace. The BBC World Service runs overnight. KNPR produces a local hour of interviews and talk, State of Nevada, hosted by Joe Schoenmann. It is broadcast live at 9 a.m. and is repeated at 7 p.m.
On weekends, KNPR airs one-hour specialty shows, including This American Life, Reveal, Bullseye with Jesse Thorn, Travel with Rick Steves, Live Wire, Latino USA, It's Been A Minute, Snap Judgment, Radiolab, The Moth Radio Hour, Hidden Brain, The TED Radio Hour, On The Media, Sound Opinions and Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. KNPR also publishes a magazine about Nevada living, Desert Companion.[5]
A group of Las Vegas-area residents started "Nevada Public Radio" in 1975 as a non-profit organization.[6] The group wanted to bring public radio to the state. It sought a construction permit from the Federal Communications Commission to build a station.
KNPR signed on the air on March 24, 1980.[7] It was founded by Lamar Marchese.[8][9][10] KNPR was the first NPR member station in Nevada. (KUNR in Reno signed on in 1963 but didn't join NPR until 1981.)
In its early years, KNPR carried a mix of NPR news programs along with classical music. At first it broadcast at 89.5 MHz. The studios were at 5151 Boulder Highway. The station was powered at 7,500 watts, one-third of its current output.
By the early 2000s, Nevada Public Radio wanted to have two stations to serve both audiences, those who wanted to hear news and information and those who preferred classical music. In 2003, KNPR moved to 88.9 and switched to a full time news and talk format. Classical music moved to a new sister station, KCNV at 89.7.[citation needed]
An additional transmitter, KSGU at St. George, Utah, was sold to the Educational Media Foundation in 2020.