View source for Radio Kansas

{{Short description|Public radio network in central Kansas, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name             = Radio Kansas
| logo             =
| city             =
| country =
| frequencies      = 90.1, 89.5, 90.9 MHz
| airdate          = {{Start date|1972|9|11}}
| subchannels      = FM/HD1: [[Public radio]], [[Classical music]]<br>HD2: [[Folk music|Folk]]/[[Bluegrass music|bluegrass]] "New Grass Valley"<br>HD3: Instrumental music "The Breeze"<br>HD4: [[Jazz]] "Radio Kansas Jazz"
| callsign_meaning = 
| former_callsigns = 
| affiliations     = [[American Public Media]], [[Public Radio Exchange]]
| owner            = [[Hutchinson Community College]]
| licensee         = 
| sister_stations  = 
| webcast          = {{ubl|[https://audio-edge-w4d68.yul.o.radiomast.io/5567306a-66f6-4d8f-a399-520e2936e3a0 Listen Live (FM/HD1)]|[https://audio-edge-8em5d.yyz.d.radiomast.io/a561c414-1402-4f40-91c8-dfd050d3a784 Listen Live (HD2)]|[https://audio-edge-vqwx4.yyz.g.radiomast.io/a2dd31a2-a524-48ce-baea-8271e1a37ab2 Listen Live (HD3)]|[https://audio-edge-vqwx4.yyz.g.radiomast.io/2d226519-ac25-43db-a366-db0759319858 Listen Live (HD4)]}}
| website          = [https://radiokansas.com https://radiokansas.com]
}}

'''Radio Kansas''' is a network of [[public radio]] stations serving central [[Kansas]]. Owned by and based at [[Hutchinson Community College]] in [[Hutchinson, Kansas|Hutchinson]], it provides service from three transmitters: '''KHCC-FM''' (90.1&nbsp;MHz) for [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]] and Hutchinson; '''KHCD''' (89.5 FM) in [[Salina, Kansas|Salina]], also serving [[Manhattan, Kansas|Manhattan]]; and '''KHCT''' (90.9 FM) in [[Great Bend, Kansas|Great Bend]], also serving [[Hays, Kansas|Hays]]. The three stations air a mix of [[classical music]] and [[American Public Media]] programming including [[BBC]] news.

==History==
The flagship station, KHCC, first signed on air September 11, 1972, as an 80-watt student station operated by what was then Hutchinson Junior Community College; the call letters were derived from the name of the college. Studios were in the basement of Kennedy Library.<ref name="Hutc730226">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-hutchinson-news-herald-broadcasters/161398772/|date=February 26, 1973|page=4A|title=Broadcasters put studies on line as national tournament approaches|newspaper=The Hutchinson News|location=Hutchinson, Kansas|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 23, 2024}}</ref><!-- Mon --> In 1978, HJCC hired its first professional station manager, David Horning, as part of an effort to upgrade the station to an NPR member. On July 1, 1979, KHCC increased power to a full 100,000 watts from the former [[KWCH-DT|KTVH]] tower at Hutchinson, adding [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]] to its coverage area, and joined NPR.<ref name="Wich790710">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-wichita-eagle-megahertz-separates-2/161398821/|date=July 10, 1979|page=12A|title=Megahertz Separates 2 Public Radio Stations: Area Listeners Tuning In With Confusion|first=Dorothy|last=Belden|newspaper=The Wichita Eagle|location=Wichita, Kansas|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 23, 2024}}</ref><!-- Tue --> becoming Kansas' third full NPR member. This also made Wichita one of the smallest markets with two competing NPR member stations. KHCC brought NPR programming to several Wichita suburbs who, at the time, got only a marginal signal from the market's other NPR member, [[KMUW]]; that station would not upgrade to full power until 1987. In 2022, changes in NPR's pricing scheme<ref>{{Cite web |title=NPR Math |url=https://radiokansas.com/npr-math/ |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=Radio Kansas |language=en-US}}</ref> led Radio Kansas to leave NPR, substituting BBC and APM news shows in the same dayparts. As of 2025, this schedule remains.

KHCD was added on January 28, 1988,<ref name="Merc880131">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-mercury-news-from-the-areabriefly/161399116/|date=January 31, 1988|page=3C|title=News from the area...briefly|newspaper=The Mercury|location=Manhattan, Kansas|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 23, 2024}}</ref><!-- Sun --> followed by KHCT on August 3, 1992—delayed by the collapse of its first tower during construction.<ref name="Wich920613">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-wichita-eagle-ukrainian-to-get-taste/161399166/|date=June 13, 1992|page=5C|title=Ukrainian to get taste of farm life|newspaper=The Wichita Eagle|location=Wichita, Kansas|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=December 23, 2024}}</ref><!-- Sat --> In advance of KHCT signing on, KHCC rebranded itself as "Radio Kansas". Radio Kansas now serves a broadcast area with over one million, with a combined footprint covering most of the densely populated area of central Kansas.

Radio Kansas began broadcasting in the [[HD Radio]] format in 2006 and was one of the first NPR members to do so. In 2012, it signed on three additional HD streams on all three stations. HD2 ("New Grass Valley") is a full-time [[Folk music|folk]] and [[Bluegrass music|bluegrass]] station, HD3 airs contemporary instrumental music ("The Breeze") and HD4 airs [[jazz]] ("Radio Kansas Jazz").

==Transmitters==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+{{sronly|Radio Kansas transmitters}}
! scope="col" | [[Call signs in North America|Call sign]]
! scope="col" data-sort-type="number" | [[Center frequency|Frequency]]
! scope="col" | [[City of license]]
! scope="col" data-sort-type="number" | [[Facility ID]]
! scope="col" data-sort-type="number" | [[Effective radiated power|ERP]] ([[Watt|W]])
! scope="col" data-sort-type="number" | [[height above average terrain|HAAT]]
! scope="col" | [[List of North American broadcast station classes|Class]]
! scope = "col" class="unsortable" | Transmitter coordinates
! scope="col" data-sort-type="number" | Founded
|-
! scope="row" | KHCC-FM
| 90.1 FM || [[Hutchinson, Kansas|Hutchinson]]|| style="text-align:right;" | {{FID|28158}}|| style="text-align:right;" | 100,000 || style="text-align:right;" | {{convert|395|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}|| C0 || {{coord|38|3|22.00|N|97|44|43.00|W|region:US-KS_type:landmark|name=KHCC-FM}}|| {{Dts|1972-09-11}}
|-
! scope="row" | KHCD
| 89.5 FM || [[Salina, Kansas|Salina]]|| style="text-align:right;" | {{FID|28156}}|| style="text-align:right;" | 100,000 || style="text-align:right;" | {{convert|275|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}|| C1 || {{coord|39|6|16.00|N|97|23|15.00|W|region:US-KS_type:landmark|name=KHCD}}|| {{Dts|1988-01-28}}
|- 
! scope="row" | KHCT
| 90.9 FM || [[Great Bend, Kansas|Great Bend]]|| style="text-align:right;" | {{FID|28157}}|| style="text-align:right;" | 50,000 || style="text-align:right;" | {{convert|238|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}|| C1 || {{coord|38|37|4.00|N|98|56|32.00|W|region:US-KS_type:landmark|name=KHCT}}|| {{Dts|1992-08-03}}
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.radiokansas.com/ Official website]
*{{FM station data|28158|KHCC-FM}}
*{{FM station data|28156|KHCD}}
*{{FM station data|28157|KHCT}}

{{Wichita Radio}}
{{Salina-Manhattan Radio}}
{{West Kansas Radio}}
{{NPR Kansas}}
{{American broadcast radio}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Kansas|KHCC-FM]]
[[Category:NPR member networks]]