Abilene's NPR Station
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About KACU

KACU is the NPR news station in Abilene, Texas, broadcasting from the campus of Abilene Christian University. KACU is heard locally on 89.5FM and streamed online at http://kacu.org. KACU has been serving the Big Country of West Texas with daily news, educational information, and music since 1986.

Daytime programming includes "Morning Edition," "Texas Standard," "All Things Considered," and "Fresh Air." Weekday evenings include classical music programming starting with "Exploring Music," followed by "Performance Today," and others. Weekends include "Morning Edition Weekend," "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me," "Travel with Rick Steves," "Only A Game," "The Moth," and others.

University students produce local newscasts, and highlight local activities in our events calendar, "This Week in Abilene."
 

Mission

KACU is a public media organization enriching Abilene and the surrounding area with insightful news and entertainment.

For a copy of the Articles of Incorporation of KACU, Inc., call (325) 674-2441 or mail a request to ACU Box 27820 Abilene, Texas 79699.

Goals

KACU encourages lifelong learning, a deeper understanding of public affairs, an appreciation for the arts, diverse ideas and voices, community dialogue, laughter, and personal reflection through authentic storytelling.

KACU’s goal is to provide news and educational information to the Abilene community that is worthy of financial support. KACU's programming is the only source in the region for diverse perspectives on topics of race, class, gender, sexuality, and religion. KACU is the sole non-commercial NPR station in the Abilene area. The station offers the only vehicle for the transmission of NPR news and programming. KACU makes such programming accessible to all through the on-air FM signal and via live web stream to any device that can accept streamed content. In addition, KACU has a free mobile app.

Abilene is home to three universities, multiple colleges, and Dyess Air Force base, and KACU is integral to providing students and military personnel with public broadcasting programming. Many of these constituents are hearing this programming for the first time. KACU is licensed to Abilene Christian University and is part of the school's Journalism and Mass Communications department. While not only providing educational information to the region, the station's news anchors, reporters, and producers are made up of college students who learn the craft of storytelling and broadcast presentation. Employment at KACU is open to students from the three universities in Abilene.

In a small market, KACU serves as the voice for area non-profits and is one of the very few news outlets in the area. KACU is an active community partner by engaging in various public arts and culture events.

Diversity

Abilene and surrounding rural population include over 155,000 people, of whom about 60 percent are white and about 40 percent represent other races. KACU is committed to serving the Abilene area’s diverse population.

KACU airs five musical programs serving minority populations that include blues, classical, and world music accounting for 6 hours of programming per week. These programs feature artists of color and stories of diverse cultural perspectives. KACU's programming and news seeks to introduce audiences to a range of culturally diverse perspectives.