Starting Thursday, Yamhill and Polk county residents will have an easier time listening to classical music on the radio. FM station All Classical Portland is integrating Linfield College’s campus radio station into its network, meaning the signal of 24-hour classical music and arts programming will be much clearer for the 100,000 people who live in McMinnville and surrounding communities.
The donation of Linfield’s KSLC 90.3 FM to All Classical Portland was, according to a press release, initiated by McMinnville college students.
ICAN, the station’s International Children’s Arts Network channel, also will be available to residents of Oregon’s Wine Country through All Classical Portland’s HD2 channel. It offers noncommercial entertainment and educational programs for children through age 12.
In the press announcement, Joe Stuart, a Linfield student and KSLC’s general manager, said: “Although student radio has been a staple of the college experience for decades, we at KSLC are excited about this new era of digital student media that will help journalism students inform and engage with their community in the constantly evolving modern media landscape.”
Roughly 3 million listeners across Oregon and Southwest Washington have access to classical music on the FM dial through All Classical Portland’s current broadcast coverage. The existing signal already reaches Yamhill County, of course, but depending on weather and other conditions, the quality can be spotty.
“There are people in Yamhill County such as yourself that receive our signal on 89.9 FM,” Arianna Avena, a station spokeswoman, told me in an email Monday evening. “The change will allow many more residents in Yamhill County and particularly those in northern Polk County to now be able to hear us loud and clear on 90.3 FM.”
In recent years, All Classical has broadcast through KSLC 90.3’s HD2 channel, which is mostly accessible through new car radios.
“Linfield has a long history working with and alongside All Classical Portland,” said Scott Nelson, Linfield’s communications director. “Both institutions have deep roots in Oregon, and both care deeply about classical music and the arts. This is the right transition at the right time.”
Suzanne Nance, president and CEO of All Classical Portland, said in the press statement that the station is overjoyed by the college’s decision to entrust 90.3 FM to them.
“We appreciate the responsibility of continuing radio service to McMinnville and the vibrant surrounding communities, building upon Linfield College’s stewardship of the station,” she said. “All Classical Portland amplifies the spirit of the Pacific Northwest through the arts, and this includes the creative output of our people and our soil. We are excited to engage with and showcase Oregon’s Wine Country.”
All Classical Portland, established in 1983, also broadcasts on: KQAC 89.9 in Portland and Vancouver; KQOC 88.1 in Newport and Lincoln City; KQHR 88.1 in Hood River and The Dalles; KQHR 96.3 in the eastern Columbia Gorge; KQMI 88.9 in Manzanita; and 95.7 FM in Corvallis.
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This story is supported in part by a grant from the Yamhill County Cultural Coalition, Oregon Cultural Trust, and Oregon Community Foundation.
