Classical KING

Target demographics: Expand our diverse community of listeners, performers, and supporters who understand and benefit from the powerful impact of classical music and the arts in our region.

Geographic areas served: the Pacific Northwest

Programs: Classical KING is the primary institution developing new audiences for classical music and the arts in Seattle, Bellevue, and the Puget Sound Region. Listener-supported Classical KING is located at Seattle Center with a mission to make classical music accessible for everyone in the community and to advocate for the arts in our region. More than 18,000 members are supporters of Classical KING, helping to pave the way for a bright future for the station, and bringing the richness of classical music to diverse audiences in the rapidly growing Puget Sound Region through public radio broadcast. Listeners can access the programming of the station through local FM broadcast on 98.1, through HD radios, worldwide through ClassicalKING.org, and by downloading the mobile app, Classical KING FM. In addition to creating programming that offers everyone in the region an opportunity to make classical music and the arts a part of daily life, Classical KING partners with arts and culture organizations of all size and scope in the region. We offer broadcast performances of local concerts as well as an opportunity for local musicians to perform on our signature Friday evening program Northwest Focus LIVE. The Northwest Focus Concert Calendar offers listeners the opportunity to learn more about concerts and events to encourage them to deepen their involvement with classical music and the arts by attending and supporting the excellent performing organizations the region boasts. Teachers and parents use Classical KING to introduce children to classical music, and the station has additional programs to supplement this important work. Classical KING provides support for arts education in the region. We are proud of the rich history of the station, which was founded by broadcasting pioneer Dorothy Stimson Bullitt in 1948. After Dorothy’s death, her daughters Patsy Bullitt Collins and Harriet Bullitt donated the station to a nonprofit to ensure the station continued to serve the region. Their concept was that the community would support the station going forward. Classical KING operated as a commercial classical station until 2011 when it became a classical public radio station.