KPAC, the oldest station in the group, signed on for the first time on November 7, 1982 as a 24-hour classical music station. It was owned by the Classical Broadcasting Society of San Antonio. As San Antonio's growth exploded during the 1980s, many of the city's new residents wanted more choices in NPR programming. A group called San Antonio Community Radio had won a construction permit for the second public radio frequency in San Antonio in 1981, but hadn't been able to get on the air. To solve this problem, the Classical Broadcasting Society and San Antonio Community Radio merged in the summer of 1988 to form Texas Public Radio. The new group was able to sign on KSTX for the first time on October 31, 1988 bringing a full-time NPR station to San Antonio. Before 1988, San Antonio was the largest city in Texas, as well as one of the largest in the nation, without a clear signal from an NPR station. However, several portions of the Hill Country were still without a clear NPR signal. To fill in this gap, KTXI was brought online on October 7, 1998, airing a mix of NPR news and classical music. Its signal covers Fredericksburg, Kerrville and other portions of the central Hill Country. KTPR was launched on December 3, 2012 to serve the Big Country region, and in October 2013, KVHL began broadcasting to the Highland Lakes area of Texas. KTPD began broadcasting to Del Rio on May 5, 2016, and TPR began broadcasting its programming on KCTI 1450 AM in Gonzales on January 2, 2017.
Local programs
Locally produced programs include ', ', ', ', and a popular music program, '. The features classical music news and analysis. The ' series is a summertime weekly film event featuring a carefully selected film each week. TPR's Nathan Cone curates the series. ' is an annual Resource Fair for seniors and their families. Sponsors and vendors are available to provide information on life enrichment, care-giving, community support services, living options, health care options, cognitive matters, planning ahead, and mobility, among others. Views & Brews is a TPR-hosted event that discusses topics relevant to TPR listeners. Past Views & Brews topics included , Urban Homesteading, Placemaking, Cycling, among others. Think Science''' is a quarterly TPR-hosted panel discussion event that focuses on developments across a wide variety of scientific fields.
