Two Californian Classical Radio Stations to Merge

KUSC and KDFC will unite under the name Classical California

Two classical radio stations — San Francisco’s KDFC and Los Angeles’ KUSC — have announced that they will merge into one station under the name Classical California. Both stations are currently owned by USC Radio Group, but until now they have maintained separate offerings.

First founded in 1947, KUSC currently boasts the title of being the most listened-to classical public radio station in America. KDFC is also a popular station, with more than 250,000 listeners tuning in on the radio each week and a further 160,000 listeners accessing the station via digital devices.

The two stations represent the only listener-supported radio offerings in California that play classical music 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

The merger will not affect staffing: the announcers on both KUSC and KFDC will be retained, and they will each continue to broadcast from their own studios in downtown Los Angeles and San Francisco’s Civic Center. However, the content will be presented on one single station.

The merger will also allow the stations to focus on expanding their digital offerings, using streaming audio channels on the website to provide more niche musical programming.

"We technically merged KDFC and KUSC 14 years ago," said KDFC President Bill Lueth. "Over time, we’ve been streamlining our operations to do more and do it more efficiently."

"We’ve already been serving a broad audience, both on air and online. Now, we’re taking the final step in bringing everything together under one unified brand — Classical California."

"Our local broadcast centers remain, and our commitment to the arts communities in our hub cities stays strong. But this transition allows us to celebrate classical music across the state as one unified brand and one website, making it easier for audiences to connect with us."

Image credit: Classical California