KALA 88.5

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KALA 88.5 FM is a non-commercial, public educational radio station licensed to Davenport, Iowa, serving the broader Quad Cities radio market. Officially signing on the air on November 4, 1967, the station originally operated with a modest power output restricted mostly to the campus, but has since expanded its reach significantly to provide robust public media coverage. Owned and operated by St. Ambrose University, KALA functions as both an essential community information hub and a practical training ground for students pursuing broadcasting, journalism, and media production careers. The station's programming format uniquely blends public news and talk—featuring syndicated programming from National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Radio Exchange (PRX)—with an extensive variety of specialty music programming. Listeners tuning into KALA can experience a rich assortment of mainstream and fusion jazz, blues, Americana, classic rock, world music, and gospel selections. In addition to its cultural and music curation, KALA serves as the primary radio home for St. Ambrose University sports, delivering live coverage of the Fighting Bees and Queen Bees athletic teams across basketball, football, baseball, and more. Beyond its primary 88.5 FM analog and HD1 signal, KALA operates digital subchannels that broaden its service to the community, including KALA HD2 (simulcast via a translator at 106.1 FM in Bettendorf) and HD3, which hosts the student-run online station 'The Stinger'. Through its dedicated staff, community volunteers, and student broadcasters, KALA remains a vibrant cornerstone of Quad Cities culture, combining professional public broadcasting standards with collegiate media innovation.

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