Jefferson Public Radio

Jefferson Public Radio

Type	Public Radio Network
Country	United States
First air date	1969
Broadcast area	Oregon  California
Owner	Southern Oregon University
Launch date	1969
Affiliation	National Public Radio Public Radio International American Public Media
Official website	Official website

Jefferson Public Radio is a regional public radio broadcasting network serving over a million potential listeners in Southern Oregon and the Shasta Cascade region of northern California. The network is headquartered on the Southern Oregon University campus in Ashland (near Medford) and named after the proposed State of Jefferson, an area which roughly corresponds to its vast and mostly mountainous coverage area of 60,000 square miles (160,000 km²).

KSOR signed on in April 1969 as a 10-watt radio station operated by students at what was then Southern Oregon College. It began moving away from its college radio roots during the 1970s, becoming a full NPR member by the end of the decade. In the early 1980s, it began building a massive translator network covering large portions of Oregon and California. At first, it was not familiar with the history of Jefferson. However, by the time KSOR began to build full-power stations later in the decade, it realized that its service area was virtually coextensive with the State of Jefferson. It rebranded itself as "Jefferson Public Radio" in 1989, feeling that name was more than appropriate for its growing network and the area it served.

JPR currently has an operating budget of $2 million.

Programming

The network broadcasts local programming as well as programs from National Public Radio, Public Radio International, American Public Media, and the BBC World Service among other sources.

Its programming is organized into three broadcasting services. Most listeners in the JPR service area can choose between all three services, giving them a programming choice comparable to those in far larger markets.

Classics & News

"Classics & News" is JPR's original radio service and can be heard throughout the JPR broadcast area. The service has the most translators and the most powerful signals. On weekdays the station plays NPR's news programs Morning Edition, and All Things Considered, and local classical music programming during the midday. In the evenings, the service runs WFMT's Beethoven Network hosted by Peter van de Graff, branded as State Farm Music Hall. For many years, it signed off from 2-5 a.m., but now airs 24 hours a day.

Nine FM stations and 28 translators make up JPR's "Classics & News Service". Outside the JPR area, C & N broadcasts in Mendocino on a translator.

Rhythm & News

"Rhythm & News" is JPR's second oldest service, designed to complement C&N while running Morning Edition and All Things Considered for a longer period. During the middle of the day, local hosts program a show called "Open Air" that features a unique blend of indie rock/pop, AAA, and Americana music. The evening features adult album alternative programming from World Cafe and "UnderCurrents". Like "Classics & News", "Rhythm & News" also signed off the air from 2-5 a.m. for many years before adopting a 24-hour schedule.

There are five FM stations and six translators broadcasting the "Rhythm & News" service.

News & Information

"News & Information" is JPR's extended news service offering JPR's only local talk show, The Jefferson Exchange, as well as the NPR talk shows The Diane Rehm Show, Here & Now and A Prairie Home Companion. It airs the BBC World Service overnights.

Eight AM stations and one FM station carry the "News & Information Service".

Expansion

In 2004, as a response to a perceived lack of public radio programming in other cities, Jefferson Public Radio began expanding its service outside of the traditional State of Jefferson. Stations in Eugene and Mendocino were purchased for the news and information format, and the news and information station in Eureka was purchased by JPR from an owner who had programmed it with the BBC World Service 24 hours a day. The purchase of the station in Eureka was particularly controversial as it was thought that it would compete directly with Humboldt State University's KHSU.

Fund drives

A longstanding tradition for Jefferson Public Radio (JPR) is its fund drives which occur twice a year, usually during April and October, coinciding with the fund drives of many other NPR stations. During these periods programming is often interrupted by on-air staff attempting to encourage listeners to call the station and pledge as much money as possible. For a long period of time the fund drives would last at least 2 weeks, but during the late 1990s the station experimented with having the fund drives last only 1 week. This experiment was successful, as people felt more motivated to call in their pledges earlier, and the fund drives still last only 1 week as of 2016.

See also

• List of radio stations in Oregon
• List of radio stations in California
• Oregon Public Broadcasting
• Southern Oregon Public Television
• Jefferson (Pacific state)

External links

• Official website
• April 2003 article about JPR from the American Journalism Review