KBPK 90.1 FM Celebrates 50th Anniversary
Last week, KBPK 90.1 FM, Fullerton College’s radio station, celebrated its 50th anniversary on Monday, Feb. 7. ABC7 Eyewitness News stopped by to mark the occasion and interviewed Ken Starkman, dean of technology and engineering, and Jospeh Pavlenko, radio broadcast technician. Watch the full ABC7 Eyewitness News coverage video on the Fullerton College YouTube channel.
KBPK 90.1 FM offers students the opportunity to gain real-world experience from faculty members who are industry leaders throughout the L.A. and O.C. radio airwaves. Fullerton College offers three certificates and three associate in art programs for radio broadcasting and production.
Throughout its 50-year history, KBPK evolved to meet the needs of the industry. It has a rich history and is one of the few college stations with a modern FCC-licensed radio station. Former Fullerton College instructor Diana (Kirchen) Kelly, Ph.D., provided a brief history of how the radio station started (insert link to PDF).
As faculty, staff and students who help operate KBPK, they do so with an eye for the future. The station will move this summer to the 700 Building from its longtime home in the 1300 Building. The new space will provide modern furniture and more studios designed to conduct interviews and podcast recordings. The main studio will have more room to host live performances, which isn’t possible in the current location. It will continue to provide a unique opportunity for many students to grow professionally and become successful in their careers.
Listeners can pick up the broadcast up to 10-square miles from the college or the KBPK 90.1 FM website. Learn more about Fullerton College’s radio broadcasting and production programs at the CTE program website.
