Los Angeles public radio station KPCC (89.3 FM) will adopt the LAist as its parent company streamlines its broadcast and digital outlets.
The announcement was made Tuesday by Southern California Public Radio, which said the LAist brand will unify the radio station, its website, social media accounts, podcasts and other media offerings.
“As a leading public media organization we cannot stay static,” Herb Scanell, the president and CEO of Southern California Public Radio, said on Tuesday. “The moment to change to service more Angelenos and beyond in the platform of their preference is now. A cross-platform approach will be the tip of the spear of our evolution, and a powerful unified brand is table stakes to future-proof our mission. It is essential that we take steps to not only serve current listeners and readers better, but to engage the public media audience of the future.”
Scanell said LAist will remain on the forefront of media innovation and will continue to serve its audience as an independent publication across all platforms.
“We rely on Angelenos and not algorithms to tell us what’s important for them, and that’s how we frame our stories,” Scanell affirmed. “Our new brand will be an embodiment of that unique way of covering Southern California. With this change we feel better positioned than ever to spark the audience’s curiosity, make them feel more connected with others and their community, help them understand issues that are important to their life, find ways to enjoy their city even more, and even be equipped to make a positive difference.”
Officials at the outlet said a good example of its unified brand strategy can be found on the new-launched program How to LA, which is available on KPCC, as a free downloadable podcast, via an e-mail newsletter and on LAist’s social media channels.
One thing that won’t change: The KPCC call letters, which have been attached to the station since the late 1970s.
