KCSM’s television and radio stations, licensed to the San Mateo County Community College District, made their broadcast debuts in 1964. Both were originally established as student broadcast training facilities. Today, the stations have professional staffs operating full service public television and radio stations and continue to serve as learning laboratories for students enrolled in the College of San Mateo Broadcasting Arts Department.
KCSM is located in the San Francisco Bay Area, the heart of the fifth largest television and radio market in the United States with the potential of reaching an audience of more than 6 million people. KCSM TV broadcasts 24 hours a day and is a member of PBS. KCSM’s 1.5 million watt broadcast signal has a coverage area that includes San Mateo, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Solano, Sonoma and Napa counties. Additionally, KCSM is carried on 60 cable systems in the Bay Area and nearly half a million viewers tune in each week.