If you were invited to an Old School Daze Party (think 1960s to 1980s attire) at a radio station, would you go? Heck yes! The hubs and I attended this costume party at KMFA 89.5 FM. I dug out my fringed vest with bell bottom pants and the hubs wore a dark grey dashiki...we were set. The proceeds from this party were used to support community service programming and scholarships. KMFA 89.5 radio station is an independent classical radio station in East Austin. This listener supported radio station provides 24-hour classical radio program. The station also hosts community events, concerts, educational events, and youth camps to name a few. On the night of the party KMFA 89.5 FM was completed transformed. The lobby area downstairs was used to check folks in and buy drink tickets, as needed. As you ascended the stairs or took the elevator, the next level unfolded a long, appetizing display of food with the beverage area adjacent to the food. One room housed card players, mainly bid whist and spades, with plenty of card playing trash talking happening. Another room was solely dedicated tp smooth jazz. A saxophonists play beautifully intoxicating music, while you watched in awe. For those cigar lovers, there was a cigar bar on the outside patio. The last and largest room was allocated for dancing....line dancing...couples dancing...group dancing...and yes, a Soul Train with a faux Don Cornelius. Needless to say, this was great location for the Old School Daze party. Fun was had by all... read more

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I hosted a fundraising event at KMFA and it was such a great experience! The space was incredible, the staff was super helpful and friendly, and the guests had a great time. We had some live music, so the acoustics and the sound & lighting engineers were so helpful. The night was a huge success and that is due in no small part to KMFA! Thank you KMFA! read more

Amazing classical music/opera and informative, kind hosts. I learn something new every time I listen. Couldn't survive Austin traffic without this station read more

This is a wonderful new building to hear a variety of music. It's become a good place for adventurous shows brought in by Epistrophy arts, as well as experimental groups and some local jazz. The room sounds great, the piano, always sounds tuned and it's a lovely venue. My only complaint is that the performers are on the floor at audience level. There's no stage or risers. That's a minor complaint for such a wonderfully warm venue. Congratulations to KMFA for providing such a welcome community space. read more

I stumbled upon this station while visiting Austin and loved it... I was searching for some news but wound up keeping it on the classical music... And loved the feeling it gave me... When I got back to San Diego I found it on iHeart... And now actually listen to it quite often... Its funny how a part of me kind of wants to listen to news... But listening to the news makes me feel either dreary or angry or both... And sets my day off on a bad footing.. I kind of "dont want to" listen to classical.. In the same way I would "rather" drink diet coke than water with lemon... But if I do put on the classical, within a few minutes my morning seems more inspired and beautiful... Just like when I decide on good water and lemon than on diet coke... read more

This is honestly the only radio station I listen to! There is nothing lovelier than driving through Texas hill country with your windows down and classical music playing! I highly recommend this station for anyone who appreciates classical music. read more

KMFA, you make my weekends, particularly Sundays as I'm ever so gently awakened by either Sunday Baroque (6am-9), Ancient Voices (9am-10), Choral Classics (10am-11), or Classical Guitar Alive (11am-12pm) depending on how late I sleep in. (One can sort of gauge how Saturday night went by which of these ultimately got me out of bed, today it's AV) You have such an awesome range of music. I love also how informative the hosts are. The little trivia they will give at times before a song is fun and I often talk to the radio saying, "Get out!!", "I have never heard that before.", "Really?", or the occasional, "STFU!!!". Hey, sometimes the trivia is surprising. You are a GREAT radio station, and as long as I live in Austin I will go to sleep and wake up with you. How's that for loyalty? read more

I love KMFA. It's one of two radio stations that I'll actually listen to in Austin, and here's why: 1. It's not owned by Clear Channel. - Okay, maybe i'm a little biased here, but I have an opinion that Clear Channel is one of the most unholy institutions in the US. I'll save that rant for another day, however this sums up a decent chunk of it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear_Channel#Controversy 2. It's all classical all the time! - No advertisements aside from infrequent mentions of company names by the announcers and membership drives twice a year. 3. Intelligent People. - The announcers I mentioned earlier know way more about "classical" music than anyone else I've ever run into and they speak like an intelligent human. They play stuff you've heard before (Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Chopin, etc.) along with some really obscure composers. They also publish every track they play during the day on their website and what time it was played. This allows you to go back and find out what something was if you heard something new and liked it. 4. No NPR. - Now I like NPR just as much as the next guy, but here if I want to listen to classical music, I don't have to roll the dice that I might hear NPR instead. KMFA is all classical all the time and I love it. Austin is one of the few places that has a station like this, and I've come to really really appreciate it. read more

The antenna on my car is broken, so I only get one radio station, and it happens to be KMFA. A prodigious occurrence? Perhaps, KMFA and I were meant for each other. KMFA states that it's one of about a dozen strictly classical radio stations in the United States. In most cities, classical radio is only a program on the local public radio station. What's unique about KMFA is that they stay away from canned classical music. Their deejays are truly knowledgeable, and they will play pieces you've never heard. I've discovered so many great works while I'm stuck in traffic! One morning, I heard Alexander Borodin's "In the Steppes of Central Asia" -- it became the opening soundtrack to the stop action animation I'm currently working on. Now, if only I had enough money to match the guilt I feel whenever they have their fund drive... read more

Great classical station with no commercials! Even better are their programs that support the local music community, including one that focuses on younger musicians. And considering the wasteland that is Austin radio, KMFA is the one beacon of hope. To put it loftier and more subjectively, the Ezra Pound to an overly indulgent T.S. Eliot. I do think that the station has a bit of a hard-on for Copeland and Barber (not my faves) but other than that, pretty well-rounded mix of modern and classical music. read more

I don't know how you could do Classical Music any better. They have excellent and knowledgeable announcers. They are commercial free (in theory, except for fund drives). They are listener-supported. They have local talent and support local arts. They offer listeners trips featuring classical music artists, venues, and performances (a great way to also support the station). They have great sound, especially in HD. They have figured out how to program based on the time of day. In short, they are the best! Of course they now have some competition from internet and satellite radio, but you can't beat their local touch. We are lucky to have such a resource here in Austin. Thanks, KMFA! read more

KMFA is a relatively unknown treasure in town, which is quite a shame. The 100% classical format, piloted by folks who love the music and love sharing it, is a powerful and wonderful thing. The selection is varied, from old pieces by the well known (Bach, Mozart) to newer, contemporary selections. Truth be told, I don't know how much I even like classical music. But I do know that I like KMFA. I like that if there isn't music on, there will be in less than a minute. I like that the people at the helm love what they're doing and seem hellbent on making sure the format they've created remains alive and well. The most enthusiastic DJ's in town are on a classical station. Go figure. read more

We need more of this! Publicly supported radio is essential to a democracy, and if we can support stations like this that continue to breath life into culture we are so quickly forgetting, we will continue to grow and not retrograde by the whims of anti-intellectuals. read more

I am biased to classical. I once played trumpet in the school orchestra, took piano lessons, and once upon a time wanted a career in music. i love the old composers. copeland with his fanfare for the common man is awesome to my ears. mozarts requiem, beethovens temptest. chopin fast finger speed. the great french composer who composed Prelude to the Afternoon Faun. if you want to hear these great pieces turn your dial to 89.5 fm. read more

KMFA is a gem. Having lived in several cities (when I was a classical musician), I can say that it is by far the best classical station I have encountered. The fact that it is listener supported means that they can pretty much program what they want. This means that sometimes they're going to be playing some truly obscure stuff you've never heard of (and possibly wish you still hadn't) but this is what makes it great. Actual classical experts exposing listeners to a wide variety of music beyond the standard top 20. They actually try not to repeat any programming over a fairly wide span of time. This is one station that is actively fighting the dumbing down of classical music. read more

Wayyyy too much talking! I listen to this station a lot because it's the classical station in town, not because it's a great station. The music is fine. But the announcers seem to like to hear themselves talk. When I turn on a classical music station, I want to hear 95% music and 5% chitchat. With KMFA it's probably 60% music and 40% talking and station promos. And the problem with these promos is that they are really LOUD compared to the music. I emailed them a while ago telling them to check their levels but nothing changed. So if you are listening late at night and about to fall asleep, suddenly, some loud, out of context promo will blare on and wake you up. Never mind the fact that the nightly DJ likes to talk more than play music. Seriously, sometimes he'll play a song that is about 3 minutes long before talking again. I don't mind hearing more talk during the daytime, but when I am listening late at night, I don't need to be "challenged" with all sorts of little factoids about the music. I just want to hear the music. I'll also echo the other reviewer who mentioned the "coming up" talk. Seriously...I don't need to hear you announce what you are going to play five minutes from now...just play it. This isn't the local television news. As someone else mentioned here, the station also likes to run smug self-promos about how "smart" and upscale the listeners are. Sometimes this is used to try to sell sponsorship to the station. Can't they find some fundraisers to do this off the air rather than annoy the listeners with these ads? I'm getting so frustrated with the station I'm listening to more and more Internet radio. I would like to support the local classical station, but until they fix their format I won't be donating any time soon. I do like the one show where the guy plays soundtrack music. And the choral music on Sunday is nice. But please - less nighttime talking and advertising and more music! read more

I think KMFA is stodgy and uninspired. The programming is heavily tilted towards music from the 1600's through the early 1800's. I am a nighttime listener, late nights actually, and I personally would like to hear more large orchestral works or signifigant parts of large orchestral and choral works along with some serious information about the composer and the composition, including dates and any improtant historical context. I would also like to hear lots more 20th Century music, both European and American. I find the station identification and station promos to be especially irritating. They are so self-congratulatory and smug sounding. I know why I am listening to KMFA, and I don't need to pat myself on the back because I am listening. I also HATE the way varioius announcers, especially Ward Jacobsen, give little teasers about an upcoming piece of music and then devote the next 5 or ten minutes to the airing of some annoying little ditty, usually on the guitar, lute, or harp. Did I mention that I really don't like classical guitar music one little bit. Oh, well......... By the way, I think some NPR stations do a bang up job of programming SERIOUS music. KUSC and its affiliates in the LA area are just one outstanding example. Lots of variety. Lots of exposure to earbending and devastatingly beautiful music. Lots of educational commentary. read more

be ware the "sustaining membership". I've been trying to cancel mine for months now. it was a well-loved station, but now includes "commercials" under the guise of public service announcements. when you're advertising a real estate agent, that's not a public service or arts announcement. I am so disappointed because I loved this station for many years. read more

I love listening to this station, especially at work but beware the sustaining memberships. Twice I've pledged so much per month and each time they've taken the whole yearly amount out of my checking account causing chaos. I spoke with Diane on the phone and she said, what did you expect? Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. I should have known better. read more

We love-love-love classical music and used to listen to KMFA almost exclusively but these days we're spending our time with the new kids in town -- international internet radio with better announcers, nicer music and NOT SO MUCH YAKETY-YAK -- so we've given KMFA the pink slip. read more

KMFA plays great music but potential donors should beware. Several years ago, as a single mother to three with child support, I sucked it up and donated $120 with a $10 per month deduction from checking account because I loved the station and felt guilty that I hadn't donated in the past. KMFA, contrary to what they told me they would do, immediately deducted the entire $120 and caused me to occur a bounced check and NSF fees. I called to complain but my complaint fell on deaf ears. read more

It was love at first listen when I found KMFA in 2004, and I have loved listening ever since. The nice thing is that I have managed to listen from remote areas of the world. Currently, I live in Ankara, Turkey, and it comes clearly on the net. read more