70 Years on the Air:

KCRW is New as Ever

2017
May 24 – September 30

In KCRW’s first ever retrospective, this exhibition details the history of the station from its days as The College Radio Workshop to NPR affiliate to international presence through online broadcasting. From actor James Dean’s afternoon radio show in the 1940s to beloved programs such as “To the Point.” the history of KCRW is a fascinating look at the exciting cultural history of our community.

Visitors are invited to listen to audio recordings and view photographs, ephemera, and other artifacts that will tell the story of our community’s local station. Objects for this exhibit come from the museum’s collections as well as from the KCRW radio station and Santa Monica College.

Early broadcasts ranged from concerts by the Santa Monica Symphony to discussion and music interpretation programs hosted by students and faculty. Later, as a growing NPR affiliate, the station was known for breaking musical acts and producing beloved programming such as “Which Way, L.A.?” and “To the Point.”

Always at the forefront, the station was an early adopter of streaming broadcasts on the web. Today, the station is building a state of the art campus with performance spaces that will bring listeners into the studio as a live audience.