Santa Monica Community College’s 89.9 KCRW Santa Monica/Los Angeles’ affiliate in Berlin is shutting down after just over three years.
“KCRW Berlin” began operating on 104.1 in the German capital in October 2017 taking over the allocation that had been operated as “NPR Berlin” from 2006-2017. The station aired American public radio programming from KCRW, NPR, American Public Media and other sources along with some local English language programming.
Blaming the shutdown on the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, KCRW Berlin will shut down on December 13. The station made the following announcement on its website:
It is with a heavy heart that we inform you KCRW Berlin will discontinue operations next month. Like so many media and nonprofit organizations, we couldn’t escape the long-term effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Our last day on air and bringing you new content online will be Dec. 13, 2020.
It has been an honor serving the English-speaking community and being part of a decades-long tradition of American public radio in the German capital.
We have deeply appreciated your support since the station’s launch in October 2017. Please stay tuned during our final month as we continue bringing you great English-language programming and highlight some of our favorite interviews and shows out of Berlin over the past three years. We encourage you to continue streaming content from our U.S. partners, KCRW and NPR, via their apps or websites.