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SALT LAKE CITY — The staff of KCPW left a simple message on social media as the clock struck 10 p.m. Tuesday, signaling the end of an era for the public radio station that formed in the '90s.
"Signing off. Goodnight — and thank you," the station wrote on Facebook.
The station, which broadcasted out of Salt Lake City's Library Square, officially went off the air Tuesday night, a day before its 31st anniversary and days after KUER and PBS Utah announced they had acquired the radio station's frequency license. It had served as the state's "first 24-hour commercial-free news and information station" when it launched in November 1992.
A listener left a message to its staff on a heart taped onto the front door of its shuttered studio. It reads: "Thank you for making SLC so much better. Your hard work is so appreciated. We will miss you!"
The move, subject to Federal Communications Commission approval, will help KUER and PBS Utah launch a new "bilingual format" that will broadcast music and news in Spanish to 88.3 FM in the near future.
KCPW staff originally announced in September that they would put the station on the market as a result of financial troubles.
"There are numerous factors spanning a long period of time that have led to this difficult decision and all of us feel a combination of emotions, including regret, over the fact that it has come to this point," staff members wrote on Sept. 28. "There's no truncated version of the story to tell here, but the initial purchase price of the station, the recession that followed, and a global pandemic and its aftereffects were all contributing factors."
Its license and construction permit for a new transmitter were put up for auction in early October. Some listeners tried to crowdsource funds to help keep the struggling radio station afloat, but to no avail.
KUER and PBS Utah ultimately won the auction and the rights to the frequency, announcing their plans for the new Spanish-language broadcast service on Oct. 25. KUER began broadcasting the new service in May through an HD subchannel, but the acquisition will allow for the program to play on FM radios throughout Salt Lake County once the FCC approves the license transfer.
The FCC is expected to weigh in on the matter by April 30, 2024.
The new station will feature content provided by Radio Bilingüe, a California-based nonprofit that distributes public radio programming in Spanish. Maria O'Mara, the executive director of KUER and PBS Utah, said the expansion will help the station expand out to a "more diverse and younger audience."
Utah's Latino and Hispanic population reached the half-million mark in 2022, as Utah's population continues to diversify, according to data and analysis by the U.S. Census Bureau and the University of Utah's Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.
"As our local population continues to grow and diversify, it is important to us to offer an inclusive, bilingual platform for the voices and stories that make up our rich heritage and that propel Utah forward as a stronger, more connected state," added Jennifer Tarazon, a member of PBS Utah's advisory board, in a statement last week.
Some of KCPW will stick around through other public radio outlets through the changes. KUER officials note that Utah Public Radio, based in Logan, plans to continue to produce and broadcast shows like "Beyond the Headlines," "Both Sides of the Aisle" and "Jazz Time with Steve Williams."
KCPW staff thanked those who supported the station since it launched as they bid adieu.
"We are very proud of the many years we were able to contribute a worthwhile, locally focused service to our community," they wrote. "For most if not all of us, public radio has been a passion, if not a lifelong vocation and we gave our utmost to make it happen, every day."
