AAC (Hi-Quality) (44k)
MP3 (56k | 128k)
 Help

 
 

  KUCI Facts-at-a-Glance
. A short list

The basics:
- broadcasts in 200 watts, stereo
- is run by volunteer students and community members
- is now over 40 years old
- broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from the UC Irvine Campus
- was started in 1969 inside a closet in the UCI physical sciences buildings
- began broadcasting at 10 watts in mono on 89.9FM
- helps promote non-profit events with on-air PSAs
- is always looking to help out local and/or struggling musicians

More information and contacts
submit a PSA for your non-profit
email us for info on underwriting and financially supporting KUCI
Send music CDs for consideration for on-air play to
KUCI
PO Box 4362
Irvine CA 92616
Attn: Music Director

  About KUCI's Broadcast
. How you can you listen to us

On-air
We broadcast at 88.9FM to the Irvine, CA and UCI area. KUCI can be heard in Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Orange and Tustin.

Webcast
Since we have a comparatively limited signal, KUCI offers a high capacity webcast at 128k, CD-quality for those with fast connections and a 56k, low-quality stream for dialup connections. This enables us to be heard anywhere in the world.

AAC (Hi-Quality Stereo) (44k)
MP3 (56k | 128k)
Real Audio (56k | 128k)

Help

You can also listen to KUCI
on iTunes at Music > Internet > College/University > KUCI 88.9 FM
at TuneIn
at RadioFlag
at Streema


  KUCI's Philosophy and Mission
. What's all this then?

KUCI started as a pirate radio station, because even back then, there were people sick of commercial radio. There are currently no independently owned commercial radio stations in the greater Los Angeles area. This is the reason that if you call up a commercial station and request a song, you won't hear it if it's not the flavor of the week. Public affairs shows are not immune to this, either. There are almost no people who are willing to express a non-politically correct opinion, because they are deathly afraid of losing sponsorship.

KUCI Programming Policies

1. NO MAINSTREAM MUSIC... we will not tolerate playing mainstream music, and even then, they better not have been TOO famous. We are pioneers and once the world discovers what we've been up to all along, we move on to the next band that needs to be heard.

2. Our talk shows examine subjects mainstream radio won't. Our hosts dig deep into subjects that are interesting but somehow not "interesting" enough to warrant being on a mainstream station. We encourage expression of all kinds and it shows in our diverse talk programming.


  KUCI History
. From "Sugar Sugar" to iPod

Conceived in 1968 by engineering student Craig Will and was later turned over to Earl Arbuckle, who became KUCI's first Chief Engineer. In October of 1969, KUCI received test authority from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and made its initial broadcast. "Sugar Sugar" by the Archies was the first song played. On November 25, 1969 KUCI was granted its official broadcast license, transmitting 10 watts of power at 89.9 FM.

In 1972 KUCI offered its first news broadcast, while in 1974 the station began broadcasting 24 hours a day. By 1978 KUCI had been host to some noteworthy guests, including Jackson Browne, Ray Bradbury, Howard Baker, Cesar Chavez, Blue Oyster Cult, The Beach Boys, and Monty Python's Flying Circus. In the spring of 1979, an article in Billboard Magazine mentioned that KUCI airs jazz programming.

In August of 1981 KUCI had managed its way out of a threatening situation. Public radio KCRW in Santa Monica filed with the FCC to increase its power. Approval from the FCC meant that KUCI could no longer be heard from some remote areas on campus, let alone beyond Irvine. Successful efforts on the part of Sue Simone, station Manager, enabled KUCI to move from its original frequency of 89.9 fm to its current frequency of 88.9 fm on August 20, 1981.

By 1984, trouble seemed to be lurking once again. Station manager Josh Bleier revealed that KXLU, at Loyola-Marymount University in Los Angeles and sharing KUCI's frequency, had intentions to move its antenna to a higher location, which would essentially wipe-out KUCI's signal. This was the first documentation for the necessity to increase the station's power to "class A," or a minimum of 100 watts.

The autumn of 1986 marked the beginning of efforts to raise money to replace KUCI's dying transmitter. With the threat of it sending out its last radio waves, a campaign was initiated to raise $7,000 for a new solid-state transmitter. KUCI staged a concert at a Los Angeles Club, the Music Machine, as well as a Jazz/Fusion concert at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano. After many months of hard work by the staff of KUCI and some lobbying by the station management, KUCI was able to replace its dying transmitter and continue broadcasting.

September 1991, the FCC granted approval for the station to increase its power to 200 watts stereo, allowing KUCI to broadcast to more of Orange County than ever before and securing its place on the dial for future generations. On Monday, March 15, 1993, KUCI began broadcasting as a 200-watt station, and calls were immediately received from Mission Viejo and Westminster, opening the door to a larger Orange County audience.

KUCI takes pride in setting trends, and in 1996 the station became one of the first to broadcast its signal over the Internet, opening KUCI up to a worldwide potential listening audience. As KUCI enters a new decade and a new millennium, the focus of the staff will be to continue to discover innovative and underrepresented music and information and to bring it commercial-free to Orange County and the world.

  KUCI Volunteer Training
. How you can get involved...

Are you interested in hosting your own music or talk show on Orange County's only public radio station? Or would you like to become a news reporter/producer? Then come on down to KUCI's DJ Training Class for the Fall 2018 quarter, where you'll learn how to use KUCI's equipment, the ins-and-outs of FCC policy, and how you can create your own professional radio show.

Full-time UCI students, faculty and staff are welcome to train in any of the four courses during the year — January, April, July or October.

The training class for the Fall 2018 quarter begins Thursday, October 11, at 7 pm in HICF room 100-K and will meet at that time for 8 Thursdays in a row with the exception of Thanksgiving. Each class will run for approximately one hour. This class is open to UCI students, staff, and faculty. No sign up is needed, just show up on the first night of the class.

Any other questions can be directed to training@kuci.org.

Here is a link to the UCI campus map.

Volunteering at KUCI, requires that you successfully complete our training session and pass a written test. There is a $25.00 fee for students, which covers the cost of KUCI’s manual.

In the session you will intern on existing KUCI programs, create a demo to apply for a program and learn about FCC, KUCI, and UCI policies in relation to the station. Completion of training does not guarantee that you will get a program.

For more information contact El Carlisle at training@kuci.org

 

 


[ Home | About KUCI | Contact | Alumni Pages | Photo Gallery | Schedule | CD Reviews | Listening Help | Articles | Hosts | Links ]

KUCI is brought to you by the University of California, Irvine