Red River Radio has provided public radio programming, including international, national and local news; classical music; jazz; blues; and educational and informational programming to North and Central Louisiana, East Texas, Central East Texas, and South Arkansas for over 30 years.

Red River Radio’s mission is to provide a trusted source of information, music, and entertainment for curious and thoughtful people, in an efficient, sustainable way, strengthening the civic and cultural life of the communities we serve.

Red River Radio’s vision is to be a valued, vital, and vibrant service that inspires people to look at the world in different ways and engage with civility and respect.

Through our news and information programs, we strive to inform the people of our region of the significant issues facing society. Our topics focus on these issues, as well as arts, education, health, culture, science and other community matters.  Through our newscasts and Community Connections, we enrich the lives of our listeners and provide opportunity for personal growth.

With over 250,000 people in the Tyler and Kilgore area, it is one of the largest markets in the country which has been underserved by public radio. For ten years Red River Radio has been asked by people in the Tyler and Kilgore communities if we could find a way to bring public radio broadcasting to the region, but a station was unavailable. Recently KPXI 100.7 went up for sale, and Red River Radio has purchased the station, which will have the new call letters of KTYK.

Red River Radio is now broadcasting all of its current main channel programming, along with its HD2 Classical Music channel and HD# All News Talk Channel in Tyler, Overton, Henderson, Kilgore and Jacksonville.

Benefits to this region include:

• Providing a source of unbiased news via local news reporting, NPR and the BBC, that will bring information from around the world to listeners. Along with our news producer, we will have a reporter from the area to produce stories for our local news broadcast.
• Red River Radio will provide a voice for arts organizations in the region. We accomplish this through “Spotlight” interviews and public service announcements.
• The East Texas Symphony Orchestra will be a regular feature on our Regional Symphony broadcast, which airs full-length concert performances.
• The station will bring a source for classical music, jazz and blues to listeners. Red River Radio broadcasts nearly 30 music programs featuring a variety of genres. Our local music programs and live music during pledge drives provide musicians a chance to gain recognition within a large region.
• Red River Radio produces a dozen local programs. “Health Matters” will provide an opportunity for local physicians to participate as guests, and the community will benefit from the health information the show provides.
• Informational programs such as “Bird Calls,” “What’s Bugging You?” and “Better Picture” will entertain and enrich the lives of listeners.
• ONLINE PRESENCE: The Red River Radio website will also benefit the Tyler and Kilgore communities. Red River Radio provides the opportunity for people within our broadcast region and nationally to hear about our local communities through our live streaming on our website at www.redriverradio.org. We also podcast local news and other locally-produced programming on the website so that people can go back and listen again or share what has aired. Organizations will be able to take advantage of our events calendar to post information about upcoming events on the Red River Radio website.

UNDERWRITING OPPORTUNITIES: The station will offer underwriting opportunities for local businesses and organizations to get their message out about their products and services to our entire listening audience, an audience that tends to be more affluent than the general population. Businesses which support public radio are seen by the public radio audience as being good corporate citizens, therefore public radio elevates the status of the business.

CULTURAL PROGRAMMING: Red River Radio brings public radio to a large rural area within our coverage region that is vastly underserved with cultural and educational programming. With this new transmitter site, we will be adding to that rural population coverage.

ENHANCED QUALITY OF LIFE: Public radio adds to the quality of life within its broadcast areas. Quite often businesses and employees research whether or not an area has access to public radio when considering locating within the community.