Cal Poly’s KCPR named one of the best college radio stations in the nation

Cal Poly’s KCPR student radio station is one of the best in the country, according to Great Value Colleges.

The radio station made a list of 30 top college stations from across the nation, including CSU Long Beach’s KBeach Radio, Florida International University’s WRGP The Roar and Georgetown University’s WGTB. The stations were ranked “based on what they offer, their dedication to the students and culture, and basically — pure excellence,” according to the Great Values website.

“California Polytechnic was ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the No. 10 best regional university in the West — so it’s no surprise that the university’s radio station is also one of the best in country,” read the report. “If you’re local, tune into 91.3 FM and you’ll see why the station helped kickstart Weird Al Yankovic’s career back when he was a student!”

KCPR, which was founded in 1968, is entirely student-run. This year, around 75 students are involved as DJs, in marketing and PR and other responsibilities, according to station manager Brian Robbins.

“It’s a huge honor for us to be put on the the list,” he said. “We’re honored and really feel like we’re that connection to Cal Poly culture, which is of course what we want to be.”

Robbins said the station gets about 8,500 listeners each week; it also puts on special events like open mic nights and CLUB 91 Live performances as a partnership with Underground Brewing Company.

This story was originally published November 14, 2017 at 3:20 PM with the headline "Cal Poly’s KCPR named one of the best college radio stations in the nation."