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"I'm a humongous fan of NPR," said Steve Berlin of East Los Angeles rock band Los Lobos. "They've been big supporters of us over the years, and Salt Lake has always been a place that's been with us since the beginning."
Berlin and his band will headline a rip-roaring party this weekend for KUER 90.1, the NPR affiliate at the University of Utah that is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a party at downtown's Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center.
"There have been people who have been listening to 50 years," said station manager John Greene, who began his broadcast career in 1980 as a volunteer with Salt Lake City community radio station KRCL.
KUER launched on June 5, 1960, with a broadcast of graduation ceremonies from the Stadium Bowl, as it was then called. While the party might be some six months late, Greene says he and his staff have been busy planning the first years of the station's next half-century.
"We want future generations to know what a radio is," said marketing coordinator Tristin Tabish, who has worked in public broadcasting since 1991, also starting at KRCL.
KUER has become a trusted source of NPR, BBC and local news programming, such as Doug Fabrizio's heralded RadioWest program and Steve Williams' nighttime jazz programming, for more than 160,000 listeners throughout the region.
The early days of the station were inauspicious. For a long time, music instruction — including listening assignments for students in Music 101 — was the primary part of the six-hour broadcast day, according to a story written by Veronica Crandall for the station's silver anniversary. The 250-watt station was run entirely by students with no paid employees. When the 1970s arrived, KUER played all classical music and was on the air for some five hours a day.
In 1971, KUER made the decision that makes its singular in Utah radio history. It was one of the first National Public Radio member stations, bringing the new series "All Things Considered" to Utah for the first time. "If you've ever answered phones during a pledge drive, you hear that people trust NPR and KUER," Williams said.
In 1979, KUER added NPR's "Morning Edition" to its schedule, and in the 1980s, KUER launched its local news department, which spawned the award-winning RadioWest. Williams (also an early KRCL volunteer) has just marked his 25th anniversary as a full-time station employee, broadcasting four hours of jazz every weeknight. "The endangered true American art form is jazz," Greene said. Williams added: "Jazz only lives here."
Over the years, KUER has developed three separate stations, with the flagship on 90.1 FM. Two additional stations are available on KUER's website: K2 is a mix of vintage and indie rock, and K3 streams classical music.
The community has shown its support for the station, with more than $450,000 pledged during the recent fall fund drive, one of its largest hauls ever. "You try to take KUER away from them, there will be a fight," Williams said.
The key to the station's success is independent news reporting and gathering. "Journalism is shrinking," Greene said. "True journalism is really important, and we provide it."
Berlin has a simple reason why he listens to stations such as KUER. "The truth," he said. "Especially now, when there is a 24-7 propaganda machine. It's never more important than now."
Now, and if local listeners are lucky, in 2060.
KUER Gold Party
P Los Lobos will perform; Steve Williams will host a jazz lounge; libations, appetizers, readings, film shorts and other entertainment will be provided.
When • Sunday, Dec. 5, at 5 p.m.
Where • Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, 138 W. 300 South, Salt Lake City
Tickets • For a $200 donation to KUER at http://www.kuer.org, supporters will receive two tickets to the party and two tickets to the Los Lobos concert.
Listen • KUER-FM is at 90.1 FM and online at http://www.kuer.org