KEXP Radio

Founded in 1972 as the University of Washington’s college radio station, KEXP has grown over the decades into one of the most respected independent music stations in the United States. Today its studios are located at Seattle Center — a cultural complex in the heart of the city that also houses MoPOP and the Space Needle — in a modern space that integrates live broadcasts with areas open to the public.

KEXP was built to welcome the people who listen to it.

Inside Seattle’s KEXP Radio Station

Beyond the broadcast studios, the KEXP address brings together Caffe Vita — open Monday through Friday from 7 AM to 6 PM, and on weekends from 8 AM to 6 PM — and the Attic Record Shop, a record store integrated into the space.

The station also maintains a physical archive of more than 50,000 albums — CDs and vinyl — with handwritten notes from the station’s own DJs and hosts recording what each record meant to them or to the station when it was released. It is a living archive.

Throughout the year, KEXP hosts special events and intimate live performances on site. The schedule is always up to date at kexp.org.

A Guided Tour of KEXP

To see the studios from the inside, KEXP offers guided tours every Tuesday and Saturday at 2 PM, except on public holidays. Each group has a maximum of 10 participants and the tour lasts between 45 and 60 minutes. Registration must be done in advance at kexp.org, with spots opening for the current and following month.

One small detail worth mentioning: anyone who stops by the reception desk between 9 AM and 6 PM can pick up a free KEXP sticker.

Chris Cornell and the Memorial at KEXP

On May 18, 2017, Chris Cornell — vocalist of Soundgarden and one of the most recognizable voices in Seattle rock — died while on tour in Detroit.

The news reached Seattle that morning, and by the end of the day, hundreds of fans had gathered at KEXP for an impromptu memorial. Flowers, messages, and photographs were left at the station’s entrance. It is the kind of thing that happens when a radio station has spent decades building a genuine relationship with its city and its community.