USC-owned radio stations to be ad-free

USC and Entercom Communications reached an agreement Tuesday to convert KDFC, the only radio station devoted to classical music in the Bay Area, into a commercial-free station.

KDFC, which received the National Award for America’s best classical station twice, will broadcast on 90.3 and 89.9, stations that USC purchased from the University of San Francisco and the Howell Mountain Broadcasting Company.

USC decided to purchase the two radio waves to more directly connect with alumni and prospective students in the Bay Area.

“There are a lot of Trojans in the Bay Area,” said Brenda Barnes, the president of USC Radio. “USC wanted to have a more tangible presence in an area that is so important for alumni and perspective students.”

The goal of the agreement with Entercom Communications, one of the largest radio broadcasting companies in the country with more than 110 stations, is to ensure the availability of the radio station to listeners throughout the Bay Area.

“By going non-commercial, we are much better positioned to make certain that the Bay Area has a strong and vital classical music presence going forward,” Barnes said.

According to Barnes, the transition to become commercial-free was based on the effectiveness of the public radio model that other classical radio stations across the country adopted.

“If you look across the country, classical radio has been transitioning from commercial to the non-commercial model,” Barnes said. “It’s a trend partly because the financial models for public radio is that listeners that like the music make contributions and support it, and it is more effective than the advertising driven model.”

KDFC will continue to use the same on-air personalities and Entercom Communications will turn KDFC’s current 102.1 station into a classic rock station.

More than 700,000 listen to KDFC, and coverage of the station will be available in San Francisco, Napa and Sonoma Counties and Northern East Bay, as well as on the Internet and through iTunes.