KCRW streams eclectic music discovery, news, and cultural programming live from Santa Monica, California, an NPR member station known worldwide for breaking new artists. Press play on Radio Shuffle and it streams instantly, free, with no account or app download required.
Founded by soldiers learning FM radio
KCRW traces back to 1945, founded by American soldiers returning from World War II to learn the then-new technology of FM broadcasting, according to Wikipedia's history of the station. Its call letters originally stood for College Radio Workshop, and the station operated out of a Santa Monica middle school before becoming a charter member of NPR's founding in 1970. It moved to a larger studio at Santa Monica College in 1979 and now broadcasts from a 34,000 square foot facility that doubles as a cultural hub for the city.
The morning show that launched a thousand careers
KCRW's influence runs largely through Morning Becomes Eclectic, a three-hour music discovery program created by Isabel Holt that first aired in 1977. Across hosts including Tom Schnabel, Chris Douridas, Nic Harcourt, and Jason Bentley, the show delivered the US live debuts of Beck, Massive Attack, Coldplay, and Anderson .Paak, a track record few radio programs anywhere can match. Novena Carmel and Anthony Valadez took over as co-hosts in February 2021, the first time in the show's history it was hosted by two voices together.
A trusted ear for new music in Los Angeles
That history of early discovery is why labels and touring artists have long treated KCRW airplay as a meaningful signal in the Los Angeles market, well beyond its official broadcast reach. The station pairs that music identity with NPR news and cultural affairs programming, giving it a dual role as both a tastemaker and a civic institution.
Listen free on Radio Shuffle
KCRW streams around the clock, and Radio Shuffle carries the feed live with nothing to install and no subscription required. Press play for the station that has introduced Los Angeles to new music for nearly five decades.