Pioneering College Radio Station KGRG-FM Celebrates 30 Years of “Today’s Rock”
By Tom Evans Krause, director of broadcast, KGRG, April 26, 2019
College radio station, 89.9 KGRG-FM, is celebrating the 30th Anniversary of its seminal “Today’s Rock” format with a month-long bash on-air and online. KGRG-FM serves the Seattle-Tacoma market.
KGRG-FM’s “Today’s Rock” format, run exclusively by Green River College students since 1989, is the only station in the Pacific Northwest to have simultaneously helped launch the careers of major artists and professional radio broadcasters over four decades. Since KGRG-FM switched to the “Today’s Rock” format in 1989, bands such as Nirvana, Presidents of the USA, MxPx, Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie, My Chemical Romance and so many more were quickly elevated to national and worldwide status directly related to heavy early airplay by the station. At the same time many professional radio broadcasters started their careers on KGRG-FM.
“Literally hundreds of KGRG-FM students have moved to professional broadcasting careers in Seattle-Tacoma, the Pacific Northwest, L.A., Houston and around the country,” according to Tom Evans Krause, Director of Broadcast Operations.
Edward R. Murrow Award winner Charlie Harger says, “I wouldn't be a journalist if it wasn't for KGRG-FM.” Harger, a principal reporter/anchor for KOMO-AM & FM/Seattle-Tacoma, has also been nominated for an Emmy. He served as student News Director and Program Director for KGRG-FM.
From April 29 – May 3, KGRG will host Alumni Week with daily DJ shows on the air featuring more than 15 alumni who now work professionally in the radio industry. Scheduled to appear on 89.9 are Seattle radio veteran turned GRC instructor Bob Rivers, alums Julie Pilat, formerly of KIIS-FM/Los Angeles and now at Apple Music, Curtis Rogers of 710 ESPN/Seattle, Matt “Slickhawk” Mikolas of 950 KJR,/Seattle, “Ryder” of 98.9 “The Bull”/Seattle and Bob “DJ No Name” Van Dyne, formerly of KNDD/Seattle, and many more.
The anniversary celebration continues with an all-ages “Today’s Rock” concert on Friday, May 10th headlined by rising Northwest rock stars “The Home Team”. The concert will be held at Green River College beginning at 7 p.m. The 30th Anniversary observance will literally finish with a bang – with an on-campus fundraising car bash on June 4th.
KGRG-FM is a non-commercial new rock music station operated by the students of Green River College. The station, originally licensed in 1974, operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and broadcasts in HD at 89.9 FM in South King County and 89.3 in Pierce County. KGRG-FM has been nominated multiple times as national College Radio station of the Year. KGRG-FM is also one of a very limited number of stations to be part of the iHeartRadio College Radio menu and is also available via streaming at http://kgrg.com as well as through the KGRG-FM free downloadable app at iTunes or GooglePlay.
