Boise State Public Radio

About Boise State Public Radio

The network's roots date to 1957, when KBJC was launched as a carrier-current station by what was then Boise Junior College, operating only while school was in session as a typical freeform college station. The call letters changed to KBSC after Boise College was taken over by the state in 1967, and to KBSU after it won university status. In 1976 the station was granted a full FM license and went on the air that fall; in 1988 it joined NPR, filling what had been a rare gap — Boise was one of the largest cities in the West, and the only major Idaho market, without a clear NPR signal.

Today Boise State Public Radio operates three Boise stations: KBSU 90.3 FM, the classical "Music" network flagship; KBSX 91.5 FM, the NPR news and cultural programming outlet; and KBSU-HD2, which carries jazz. A system of repeaters extends their signals across much of populated Idaho, eastern Oregon, and the northern border of Nevada. It is listener-supported, with funding from pledge drives, corporate sponsors, and private donors.

In recent years the network has expanded significantly: in October 2022 it began operating KLCZ in Lewiston and added a Pocatello translator, and in 2024 it acquired KWRV, a classical music station serving Sun Valley. The stations are licensed to the Idaho State Board of Education and operated by Boise State University, and their digital home is boisestatepublicradio.org.