“It is such a cool step for this amazing radio station to have their own event space,” says a KRCL fan.

(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Host Eugenie Hero Jaffe speaks in between songs at the KRCL studios in Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 9, 2026.

You might enjoy listening to some of Utah’s up-and-coming bands on KRCL, the Salt Lake City-based community radio station, while driving to work or cooking dinner.

By next year, though, you’ll be able to hear them in person at the station’s expanded headquarters at 509 W. 300 North, thanks to a construction project announced last week. The build-out will include a 200-person indoor venue for concerts, panel discussions and other events.

“I’m excited to actually have people down here,” Eugenie Hero Jaffe, the web and social media director for the station, said. “… We’ve always talked about having a public space. We are a community radio station. How can you involve the community? Well, a public space.”

Jaffe, who is also one of KRCL’s on-air hosts, said the project will lead to endless programming possibilities. In total, the expansion is set to include three new production studios, an outdoor plaza, an art gallery and a conference room. The station has already raised 89% of the $7 million necessary for construction and, despite a significant cut in federal funding last year, is in good health.

(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Eugenie Hero Jaffe, right, and Annabel Sheinberg show plans for an expanded building at the KRCL studios in Salt Lake City, Thursday, April 9, 2026.

Annabel Sheinberg, who is managing the fundraising campaign, said that the station had one of its best years after the budget hit and that it came through the period of uncertainty stronger. She credited the dedication of KRCL staffers and listeners. Jaffe noted that the station’s day-to-day operations are still funded via its fund drives, known as radiothons.

A ‘cool experience’

(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) CDs on display at the KRCL studios in Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 9, 2026.

KRCL has a reputation for boosting Utah musicians, both on the air and through live events at other venues like The State Room. Kevin Edwards, half of Utah folk duo Shaking Paper, said that once, when he was an 18-year-old “nobody” and just getting started in music, he was driving into Salt Lake City and a song of his started playing on KRCL. He said it was a “cool experience” and a “total surprise.”

Later in his career, then a part of the garage rock band The Wild War, Edwards played numerous KRCL events.

“They’re always super nice, and they’re one of those groups of people who are all very invested in finding and promoting the great arts that are in our state,” Edwards said. “And that’s such a valuable thing.”

He said he was excited for the expansion because it would offer more concert opportunities for musicians and fans, and make it easier for listeners to get involved with the station.

Jaffe said the project would help KRCL grow its audience by allowing it to invite more people in for events and learning opportunities.

(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Host Eugenie Hero Jaffe shows outside space before construction at the KRCL studios in Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 9, 2026.

For now, the station’s entrance on 500 West is two patches of dirt bisected by a wooden walkway to the building’s current front door. Come summer 2027, though, it’s set to be the entry to the new event space — which will be connected to the plaza via accordion doors. A new lobby and the other amenities will be built on the east side of the building, too.

‘This amazing radio station’

(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) CDs on display at the KRCL studios in Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 9, 2026.

“Their new facility will be very close to where I live,” KRCL listener and downtown resident Jodi Reese said. “ … It is such a cool step for this amazing radio station to have their own event space.”

Reese often attends the station’s concerts in venues across Salt Lake City. She said she’s made many of her friends by going out to KRCL events.

The expansion won’t just result in new events, though. Jaffe said that recording spaces can get backed up with hosts trying to get audio ready for air. The new studios, she said, can help alleviate that issue.

Listening to the radio can be a solitary experience, Jaffe noted. But by opening up more space for shows, panels and live broadcasts, she said the station can bring the listeners even closer to the music — and to one another.

“KRCL feels like home to a lot of people already,” Sheinberg said. “And through having a physical space, the opportunity to grow that group of people is profound.”

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