Northwest Public Radio, the public radio service of WSU, has announced a significant upgrade of its Mount Vernon station, KMWS, a change that also includes a new frequency for the station.
Northwest Public Radio has moved the KMWS transmitter to a new and higher transmitter site on Butler Hill. Coupled with a power boost from 100 to 1,500 watts, the coverage area of KMWS now includes most of Skagit County. The frequency for KMWS has changed from 90.1 FM to 89.7 FM.
KMWS broadcasts the “NPR News” service from Northwest Public Radio. This service provides a wide range of public radio news and information programs including “Morning Edition,” “All Things Considered,” “Talk of the Nation,” “The Diane Rehm Show,” “Fresh Air,” “Weekend Edition” and “Marketplace.”
Another benefit of this upgrade is that KMWS will be an HD radio station. In addition to the “NPR News” service on the analog FM side and on one digital channel, listeners will soon hear Northwest Public Radio’s NPR & Classical Music service on a second digital channel. While the analog service will continue to be available on existing radios, new HD radios are required to listen to the digital channels.
Program schedules for both services are available at nwpr.org. This website also includes information about the benefits of HD Radio.
