KCLU is the NPR radio station serving Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.
We do 10 daily newscasts, plus a daily long form story (3:30-4:00). We also do something non-traditional in the NPR world, but important for the communities we cover. We do long form live breaking news coverage.
For instance, in 2019 we had three major brush fires, burning thousands of acres of land, and forcing tens of thousands of evacuations. Then, on Labor Day, we had a tragic fire on board an excursion boat off our coast which killed 34 people. (In 2018, we had fires which burned 1500 homes, and a mass shooting in which 12 died. This year so far, we had the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash.) We are a huge breaking news market, and provide extensive on air coverage, as well as via our web site, Twitter, and Instagram.
Having said that, I am the only full time newsperson. I have part time morning and afternoon anchors, who just anchor, so I spend my day covering and writing all of the local news on the station. (Our entire staff in the station building is five full time, and two part time). But, I hustle, and we stay on top of our market, and are the news leader in the region, outrating the big LA stations which lap into our coverage area.
