KCBX Inc.’s Central California Public Radio will sign-off Public News/Talk 89.5 KSBX Santa Barbara CA by December 31 citing tropospheric ducting making its signal being increasingly overrun by another station.

KCBX claims that the increase in ducting is being caused by climate change bringing in the unnamed signal of 89.5 KPBS-FM San Diego up the coast. KCBX General Manager Frank Lanzone said, “KCBX considers Santa Barbara an integral part of our listenership, and we have no plans to reduce or limit news coverage or reporting on local Santa Barbara events and happenings. As a Central Coast public radio station, we consider Santa Barbara residents part of our KCBX family.”

This is not the first time KSBX tried to manage the interference caused by KPBS-FM. The station applied in 2006 to relocate to 89.9 due to the tropospheric ducting caused by the San Diego signal, which was dismissed in 2012 due to it being short-spaced to 90.3 KMRO Camarillo and the FCC not accepting tropospheric ducting as a reason for a waiver.

KCBX operates a network of signals based at 90.1 KCBX San Luis Obispo as well as 91.7 KNBX San Ardo and five translators. It competes in a crowded public media sphere in Santa Barbara that also includes California Lutheran University’s Public News/Talk 1340 KCLU/102.3 K272DT Santa Barbara and simulcasts of Los Angeles’ KCRW (on 88.7 KDRW), 89.3 KPCC (on 89.9 K210AD) and Classical 91.5 KUSC (on 93.7 KDB).

KCBX announced today that after 39 years of bringing Santa Barbara residents a unique mix of news, entertainment and music, a change in atmospheric conditions due to climate change has created a frequency interference with another radio station. As a result, there is no avenue but to end the broadcast at 89.5 FM KSBX by the end of 2022. Listeners in the Santa Barbara area who are affected by this change are encouraged to tune in to KCBX’s online stream on the KCBX.org website, via smart speakers, and through the NPR apps. Some areas on the outskirts of Santa Barbara, including most of the city of Goleta, will still be able to listen on the KCBX 90.9 FM signal.

A phenomenon known as ‘ducting,’ created by warmer waters, changes how radio signals travel over bodies of water, allowing FM frequencies to travel farther across the ocean. As a result, broadcasts on a frequency many miles away are able to reach new coastlines and interfere with the same frequency that would previously be shielded from that interference based on distance alone. The KSBX frequency at 89.5 FM is an unfortunate victim of this phenomenon, being increasingly overrun by a station using the same frequency 200 miles away, creating an unintentional problem that that the other station cannot fix.

KCBX continues its dedication to provide the best public radio experience to the entire Central Coast. General Manager Frank Lanzone said, “KCBX considers Santa Barbara an integral part of our listenership, and we have no plans to reduce or limit news coverage or reporting on local Santa Barbara events and happenings. As a Central Coast public radio station, we consider Santa Barbara residents part of our KCBX family.”

KCBX encourages listeners to use other popular online resources to stream their favorite KCBX programs or DJs. The internet makes it possible to listen to practically every FM station nearly anywhere in the world by opening a webpage on a computer or app on a smartphone or tablet.

The KCBX website at KCBX.org provides the best access to both KCBX FM and its alternate streaming channel, KCBX2.

Listeners with a smart speaker may ask it to “Play KCBX” or “Play NPR” to tune in to the regular KCBX stream, and the NPR mobile apps for smartphones and tablets allow for streaming KCBX anywhere. For listeners using Apple devices, the Apple Music app will offer the highest quality stream.

Listeners on the go who can connect their smartphones through their car’s audio system can stream KCBX using any of these methods to tune in while driving.

“We hope you will continue to listen through alternative technologies to hear the news, entertainment and music that you appreciate from KCBX, even if you are affected by the loss of our 89.5 signal,” Lanzone said. “All of us at KCBX thank you for being listeners and supporters of KCBX.”

Questions or comments can be submitted to KCBX through the contact page at KCBX.org, found under the ‘About’ menu on the webpage.