CSUN’s KCSN now features the nationally syndicated music program “World Café.”
The two-hour program, hosting a variety of music and artist interviews, airs Monday through Friday evenings starting at 7 p.m.

Karen Kearns, KCSN general manager, said CSUN began broadcasting the program July 19.

“World Café” fit into the station’s new Triple A (Adult Album Alternative) formatting adopted March 1,” she said.

“We play singers and songwriters, both acoustic and electronic,” Kearns said.  “We play classics like Springsteen and Dylan, but also newer artists like Jacob Dylan, Broken Bells, David Grey, and The Black Crows. It’s a wide range of different stuff.”

Commercial stations typically play only the top 40 songs, but KCSN has more than 3,000 in its playlist, Kearns said. “World Café” started playing on five stations, but now airs on more than 200.

“Part of it is a music show that plays many of the songs we play, but then an artist comes in every night and does a live interview,” Kearns said.

“World Café” is produced by WXPN in Philadelphia and is syndicated nationally through National Public Radio, she said.

“We knew that WXPN was interested in getting it aired in Los Angeles,” Kearns said. “It made a lot of sense to them because of what we play, and because of our format, they made a lot of sense to us.”

David Dye, host of “World Café,” said he has worked on the program since its start almost 20 years ago.

“It started off with the plan that it would be a world music program, which is where it got its name, but really it’s more indie rock and independent folk singer/songwriters, with some world music and some blues reggae,” Dye said. “It’s essentially a whole mix of music.”

On every show, Dye interviews at least one artist, well-known or brand new.

Kearns said a shorter recap version of the show called “Conversations with World Café” airs Sundays from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.