.The Return of Pirate Cat Radio

Independent station KCPR, known as Pirate Cat Radio, is back in Santa Cruz for the first time in more than a year, when the station moved to Los Gatos. Pirate Cat recently added KMRP 101.9 FM to its list of frequencies, allowing Santa Cruz listeners to once again tune into everything Pirate Cat has to offer.

KMRP is licensed by the Central Coast Media Education Foundation, whose mission is to provide educational resources for journalism and media creation. Pirate Cat follows the foundation’s mission by building community through sharing the knowledge possessed by artists with local audiences.

“What Pirate Cat radio with KPCR is doing is bringing a very specific format of alternative subgenres mixed in liberal arts radio, radio with interviews of makers and creators, and hosts who are those makers and creators,” says Daniel Roberts, founder of Pirate Cat Radio.

“We are not just being like Fresh Air, giving an interview with somebody doing something,” Roberts explains. He provides artists with radio programs “so they can share their wealth of information, not just a one-off, but every week at the same time. Plus, we get to bring some cool and different sounds that you really wouldn’t get anywhere else.”

One of the community services Pirate Cat Radio provides is giving artists a resource to talk to hosts who have found success in a specific genre or scene and gain information on how to move forward and grow as artists. Roberts feels that the information provided in radio shows is essential to not only artists but can be applied to our day-to-day lives.

“One of my personal music heroes—Mike Park, who is the singer of Skankin’ Pickle, founder of Asian Band Records—just launched his radio show on the station last week on Wednesdays from 8 to 10. One of the pieces of information he gave a band last week was, ‘Do not ever play in the bar. Create a scene of your own.’”

Creating a scene of their own is exactly what Roberts and Pirate Cat Radio are doing with alternative radio in the Bay Area. Tune in at KPCR-LP 92.9FM in Los Gatos and KMRT-LP 101.9FM in Santa Cruz.