LISTEN to Janeane chat with Olivia,
KUCI's Public Affairs Program director extraordinaire!
Over the years, KUCI has been fortunate to receive financial support from the UCI campus. In the last decade, the campus has not been able to provide us all the financial support the station needs to operate at the highest level. Luckily KUCI is able to generate additional operating funds through private gifts. It is private gifts that allow us to maintain the status quo, make improvements and to move forward. Help guarantee that KUCI can continue providing new and innovative music, news, and public affairs to Orange County. Make your pledge today!
KUCI is run by a volunteer staff. KUCI’s current staff exceeds 140 volunteers, primarily UCI students . KUCI is the only eclectic alternative radio station in Orange County KUCI is an FCC licensed non-commercial educational radio station, on the air since 1969
Gift levels
Your $200 donation is less than 55 cents a day. A $100 gift is equal to 27 cents a day. A $70 gift is equal to $5.83 a month or merely 19 cents a day. Your $50 donation is equal to barely $4.00 a month; 96 cents a week; or only 14 cents a day! Again, it’s less than the cost of your cup of coffee A $35 pledge is only $2.92 a month, or 67 cents a week, or 9-1/2 cents a day.
9-1/2 cents a day and you get 24 hours of unique programming, right in your home, car, office, cell phone or smart device.
KUCI’s beginnings
KUCI began as an underground radio station in the late 60’s, broadcasting illegally from a dorm room on the UCI campus for a few hours each afternoon until the Federal Communications Commission shut it down. In 1968 UCI engineering student Craig Will began the process of applying to the FCC for a legitimate broadcast license and started the chain of events that led to KUCI becoming a legal broadcast station.
Due to the pressures of school, Craig left the project and turned it over to Earl Arbuckle, who became the station’s first chief engineer. (Earl Arbuckle passed away last month). In October of 1969, KUCI received test authority from the FCC and made its first legal broadcast, airing “Sugar Sugar” by the Archies, on October 16, 1969.
On November 25, 1969, KUCI was granted its official broadcast license, transmitting 10 watts at the original frequency of 89.9 fm. KUCI History As a legal radio station, KUCI was originally broadcast from a closet in the Physical Sciences building, but in 1971 the studios of KUCI moved to the third floor of the Gateway Commons building.
Earthquake renovation in the summer of 1994 caused KUCI to relocate to temporary location in the Humanities Annex. Finally, right after Thanksgiving, 1995, KUCI moved into its new permanent location in the Engineering Facility. This triple-wide trailer module was forced to move in 2004 when the Anteater Parking Structure was built in our location. We’ve been stable and happy in our current space since April 15, 2004. 1970s Highlights 1972 marked KUCI’s first news broadcast. In 1975 KUCI began broadcasting 24 hours a day. Also in 1975, KUCI began coverage of Orange County politics. At the time, KUCI was the only local radio station to provide continuous election returns.
During the summer of 1976, station managers Nick Roman and Thane Tierney traveled to Kansas City to cover the Orange County delegation to the Republican National Convention, sending news and interviews to KUCI nightly. KUCI’s Frequency Change In August of 1981, KUCI narrowly escaped a near death experience.
Station KCRW at Santa Monica College and KUCI shared the frequency of 89.9 fm. KCRW applied and received permission from the FCC to move its transmitter to the top of Mount Wilson, the tallest location for transmitters in the Southland. This allowed for a massive increase in coverage for Santa Monica’s community station and essentially wiped out KUCI’s coverage entirely.
Thanks to the efforts of chief engineer Dave McCue and station manager Sue Simone, KUCI had applied and luckily received permission to change to its current frequency, 88.9 fm. KUCI’s Power Increase In 1984 KUCI seemed to be in trouble again. Station manager Josh Bleier revealed that KXLU at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, also at 88.9 fm, had intentions to move its antenna to a higher location, proving yet again another threat to KUCI’s signal. KUCI spent seven years hoping, dreaming, and researching before an application was filed and the FCC approved a power increase.
In September 1991, KUCI received approval to increase power to 200 watts and upgrade to stereo, opening the door for broadcasting to more of Orange County than ever before and securing its place on the dial for future generations. Finally on March 15th, 1993, Kevin Stockdale, KUCI’s Broadcast Media Coordinator, flipped the switch in the studio, transforming KUCI’s 24 watt mono signal to a 200 watt stereo signal.
The coverage map instantly expanded to include cities from Huntington Beach to Anaheim to Lake Forest to Corona del Mar and all points in between. KUCI Programming KUCI offers more types of programming than any other station around.
Music genres
KUCI features or has featured over the years: Alternative/ indie rock, punk, rap/ hip hop, reggae, world beat/ international, ska, funk, folk, blues, psychedelic, gothic, grindcore, industrial, underground dance, Christian alternative, techo/ ambient, Middle Eastern, country, Chicana/ Chicano, Latin American, experimental jazz, big band, acid jazz, and gospel, to name just a few. Oh, we can’t forget Radio Internationale, which only played music from communist marching bands!
KUCI offers a forum and a voice to diverse ethnic groups, with shows or public affairs programs that have featured Chinese, Vietnamese, Israeli, Middle Eastern, and Latino issues and music. The Public Affairs department has 20 hours of diverse programming each week, with shows offering perspectives in health, business, leadership, politics, UCI campus issues, writing, personal enrichment, and more, featuring interviews with local, national, and international leaders.
Our classical music host Michael Rydzynski has been bringing a wide variety of musical selections, accompanied by a wealth of knowledge, for 48 years now!
Michael Payne, host of The Darkling Eclectica, has been bringing diverse and eclectic music and short stories since 1984! Friday night’s Riders Of The Plastic Groove electronic mixes by DJs from around the world for over 33 years now.
KUCI and UCI Sports
KUCI is the flagship station for UCI Anteater Men’s and Women’s Basketball. The station had been broadcasting all the home games since the mid-70’s, and in 1993 they became broadcasting all games, home and away. KUCI was the only live media outlet that covered the Anteater’s miraculous run in the 1994 Big West Basketball. Since 1997, Men’s and Women’s basketball games have also been broadcast live on the Internet. In 2002, the UCI Baseball program was reinstated after a 10-year absence. KUCI broadcasts select baseball games, with the remainder of the games available on a separate web stream.
KUCI was the only place to hear UCI baseball when the team advanced in the playoffs to the Super Regionals in 2007, eventually advancing to the College World Series. KUCI also makes available selected volleyball games on the internet.
KUCI Alumni
Many KUCI DJs over the years have moved on to professional positions in the radio or music industry. Former station manager Nick Roman recently retired from a 44-year career in public radio news in southern California, including long stints at KLON/KKJZ Long Beach and KPCC/ The LAist in Pasadena. For 11 years, he was the LAist host of NPR's "All Things Considered."
Former KUCI news director Mary Lyon worked in news in southern California for over 35 years, including Associated Press, KFWB AM, KTLA-TV, KLSX FM, KRTH FM (K-earth 101), NBC TV, KHJ AM, KLOS FM, and KNAC FM.
Two-time summer DJ Vidya Tolani was known up north as Audio Vidya on Live 105 in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Former music director Hilary Schmidt did afternoon radio at 91X in San Diego for 10 years then 94.9 in San Diego and is now music director and on-air host for 91X
John Lewis, former station manager, was an engineer for Infinity Broadcasting/KROQ, worked in the engineering department for KCRW, Santa Monica and also for KNX-AM
Vicki Pepper-McDonel worked at KZLA, Premiere Radio Networks, KKGO, KUZZ, has been an on-air personality on K-FROG since 2013
Former production director Al Stone wrote commercials for Power 106.
Former DJ and music director Chris from Irvine went on to work at HITS, an industry trade magazine, MCA Records, SPIKE Radio and booked talent for the Viper Room.
Hilaire Brosio, former KUCI music director, served many years as the Director of West Coast promotions for Arista Records, as well as Elektra Records.
Former DJ Troy Hansbrough has worked for Triad Artists, a booking agency, as well as for Rick Rubin as an A & R representative for American Recordings.
Sue Simone, former general manager, was vice-president of Disc Manufacturing, Incorporated, the largest CD pressing company on the west coast, and was president of Myriad, an offshoot company specializing in CD- interactive music media just as that technology was coming out.
Kevin Murray, one-time DJ and founder, guitarist, songwriter, and singer for Twisto Frumpkin, worked for Alternative Distribution Alliance, which distributed music for Warner-Elektra-Atlantic and its subsidiary labels, and also for the Dreamworks record label.
Former DJ Scott Askew did morning drive time and production for an AOR station in Olympia, Washington.
Kathleen Roberts, former KUCI news director and station manager, has done sales for several local radio stations, including MARS-FM, JAZZ-FM, KIK-FM, and is currently working for K-FROG in San Bernardino.
KUCI’s Financial Needs
Over the years, KUCI has been fortunate to receive financial support from the UCI campus. In the last decade, the campus has not been able to provide us all the financial support the station needs to operate at the highest level. Luckily KUCI is able to generate additional operating funds through private gifts. It is private gifts that allow us to maintain the status quo, make improvements and to move forward. Help guarantee that KUCI can continue providing new and innovative music, news, and public affairs to Orange County. Make your pledge today!
