EWU Announces Sale of its KEWU Radio License to the Oldies Preservation Society

When finalized, the sale of the KEWU license and equipment will garner $810,000 in cash and advertising credit.

(Cheney, Wash) – Eastern Washington University has accepted a letter of intent for the sale of its non-commercial jazz radio station, 89.5 KEWU-FM, to the Oldies Preservation Society in Spokane for $510,000, plus $300,000 in publicity and advertising credit. The move marks a strategic shift that enables EWU to invest in academic programming benefiting students in the Film and Digital Media program and the Department of Fine and Performing Arts.

The ownership transition is pending a public comment period and regulatory approval from the Federal Communications Commission, but is expected to come after KEWU celebrates 75 years on the air on April 7, 2025.

“KEWU has long been a source of pride and connection between Eastern Washington University and the station’s listeners,” said Eastern Washington University President Shari McMahan. “Our agreement with the Oldies Preservation Society ensures that the station’s legacy will live on through their dedication to classic music. This decision was made with careful consideration, and the sale of the license now opens exciting opportunities to foster student creativity and provide hands-on learning experiences in new and innovative ways.”

The sale of KEWU will enable EWU to invest in opportunities that align with today’s media landscape and the career goals of students. These opportunities include facilities for podcasting, sound recording, music recording and other skills that build on the tradition established by KEWU and the Electronic Media and Film program, now called Film and Digital Media.

“I grew up listening to WLS out of Chicago, Detroit Tigers games, and KROQ in Los Angeles, so radio was a magic portal to the world. Radio still matters, which is why I am so happy to have found a home for KEWU,” said Pete Porter, the EWU professor of theatre and film who has served as general manager of the station in recent years. “Our film and the fine arts programs will repurpose the KEWU studios to offer new opportunities for EWU students to engage emerging media and explore new pathways in sound in our fast-moving digital world.”

Since 1950, the station has been managed and operated by EWU students, faculty and staff. Radio personality Colin Cowherd cut his media teeth at KEWU, as have hundreds of other EWU students. Plans to continue an EWU station as a streaming-only option are under consideration, especially as it could showcase new student work.

The Oldies Preservation Society (OPS) preserves and promotes oldies music through broadcast and the internet. It plans to operate as a community and listener-supported station. Songs from the first three decades of rock-n-roll by artists like Elvis, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Motown, Billy Joel and the Eagles will all be shared on 89.5FM.

“The KOOL Oldies format is like a museum of great music from the 50s to the 80s, including vintage commercials and the catchy theme songs of old TV shows,” said OPS board member Bob Anthony Fogal. “OPS plans to continue to serve the Inland Northwest from 89.5FM as KEWU has done now for nearly 75 years,”

The decision to discontinue the campus-run radio station was made with great consideration, recognizing KEWU has been on the air since 1950. In 2023, EWU announced it would discontinue operations at KEWU as part of a phase-out plan. The station has continued to broadcast in the hope of finding a home for the license that will serve the Inland Northwest the next 75 years, which has now been achieved.

Originally a traditional, free-form student college radio station, KEWU evolved in 1986 when it increased its transmitter output from 100 watts to 10,000 watts and adopted a straight-ahead jazz format—featuring big band, swing, bop, and contemporary smooth jazz. Over the years, the station also welcomed local artists, such as Howard Crosby, Julia Keefe, Milonga, and Garrin Hertel, as well as world-renowned musicians visiting Spokane, into the studio to showcase their music.

The public is invited to share their fond memories of KEWU or to reconnect with EWU as it prepares for the future of media and communications by emailing Fine and Performing Arts at eparks6@ewu.edu.

For more information on the Oldies Preservation Society, please go to KOOLOPS.org.

Media Contacts:

Pete Porter
Professor of Fine and Performing Arts
Eastern Washington University
509.359.6390
pporter@ewu.edu

Bob Anthony Fogal
Oldies Preservation Society Board Member
760.397.7621
Bob@KOOLOPS.org