Since then, the station has grown its news coverage, its staff and its studios.
KPCW was first located on Main St. upstairs in “the bunker” of the historic War Memorial building, then owned by Park City and now The Marquis Park City. In 1985, the station expanded and broadcast from the first level of City Hall, the Marsac Building. In 1992, the station became an affiliate of NPR and in 2008, the station moved into its new studios on Swede Alley which were nearly doubled in size with a remodel in 2020.
After 44 years over the airwaves, the station has covered major local stories like the Deer Valley Ski Resort opening in 1981, the Jordanelle Reservoir being filled in the ‘80s, the 2002 Olympics and Vail Resorts acquiring Canyons in 2010 and Park City in 2014. More recently KPCW has followed Deer Valley’s East Village expansion, developments with the Heber Valley temple and Utah’s journey to host the 2034 Winter Games.
KPCW has expanded its broadcast range since 1980 with multiple towers, giving listeners three radio frequencies, 91.7 FM in Park City, 88.1 FM in Heber and 91.9 FM in Summit County.
KPCW has also seen the incredible transformation in technology over the last four decades - from electric typewriters to word processors and teletype machines to the internet. Today, a radio isn’t even needed to listen to the station. KPCW streams its content 24/7, allowing listeners to stay up-to-date on local news at all hours. Visit KPCW.org to stream or tell Alexa or Google, “Play KPCW.”
To keep locals in the know, KPCW launched its free, email newsletter, The Local. The most recent and top news stories are delivered to subscribers’ inboxes every weekday morning. And we’ve recently rolled out a Sunday version of The Local. Curated to include the week’s big stories, it also prepares residents for what to expect in the week ahead.
KPCW’s newest additions include the launch of Minuto Hispano, a series of PSAs and event updates in Spanish. We’ve also unveiled KPCW en Espanol, to bring local news to communities in Summit and Wasatch counties exclusively in Spanish. Since day one, KPCW has continued to air free community public service announcements and its lost and found reports.
As a public media outlet, there is no paywall to KPCW’s content. However, KPCW relies on donor and business support to sustain its operations and services to the Wasatch Back.
KPCW raises the needed funding through the Broadcasters Club donor program and two pledge drives each year. The station’s next pledge drive is Aug. 19 to Aug. 22.
Community partners interested in participating can contact Sarah Ervin at sarah@kpcw.org.
KPCW, “the station that Park City built,” thanks you for listening like a local and we can’t wait to see what another 44 years brings.
