KOOP (pronounced koh-op) Radio is a non-commercial community radio station in Austin, Texas. Since going on the air in late 1994 its mission has been to engage, connect and enrich the Austin community, including the underserved, through creating diverse, quality, educational music, and news programming. It is owned and operated by its members in a cooperative structure depending primarily upon a small paid staff, volunteers, and supporters for all operations of the station. KOOP has more than 60 unique, locally produced programs airing every week. Each of these programs is produced by an individual or by a collective of members. Any member of the community can join our organization and apply to produce a radio program with KOOP providing the facilities and the training. KOOP shares the 91.7 frequency with KVRX, the University of Texas student radio station. It broadcasts Monday through Friday from 9:00 am – 7:00 pm (CT), and weekends from 9:00 am – 10:00 pm.

After a yearslong legal battle and negotiations involving KOOP, the University of Texas as well as the FCC going back to the mid 80s, KOOP aired its first broadcast on December 17, 1994, from a small studio and office space located in downtown Austin in the 500 block of San Jacinto Street. After a couple of years, it moved into a larger space around the corner in an adjoining building on E. 5th Street. It was at this location in the early 00s that KOOP first explored broadcasting on the internet at koop.org.

In January and February of 2006, the building was damaged by two accidental fires, the second catastrophic, forcing the station off the air for two weeks and to search for a new location. During the ensuing search for a new location the station broadcast from a space in the old KMFA studios on N. Lamar. After a months-long build-out, it began broadcasting in the fall of 2006 from its present location on Airport Blvd. in east Austin. Soon after KOOP expanded its online presence by adding an automated overnight stream to run while not on the FM frequency.

In January of 2008, it suffered a third serious fire, this time set by an arsonist. KOOP was back on the air in a couple weeks, broadcasting from a studio in Westlake Hills donated by commercial radio station Entercom. It was able to return to its repaired studio in the fall of 2008.

In March of 2020 KOOP closed its studios due to the Covid pandemic. As a result, programmers produced their shows at home, which were then uploaded by the tech team to the programming computer, and then aired in their normal time slots. Normal studio operations resumed in August 2021. Since then, through the support of its listeners and various grant funding the station has completely upgraded its studio with state-of-the-art equipment and has begun broadcasting on HD3. Toward the end of 2025 the KOOP studios and office made a complete transition to solar power.

[Written by Scott Gardner]