Jazz88

Jazz88, KBEM 88.5 FM, is a public radio station in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that describes itself as the Twin Cities' public radio voice for jazz, roots music and education. The station is a program of Minneapolis Public Schools, whose Board of Education (Special School District #1) holds the license, and its mission is to be the district's voice for education and jazz.

KBEM grew out of a broadcasting education program started at Minneapolis Vocational High School in the mid-1960s and signed on in October 1970. In 1983 it moved to North High School, where its studios remain, and jazz became its main format in the mid-1980s. Today the station is financially self-sufficient through listener donations, grants, partnerships and business support, and takes no cash subsidy from the school district.

Jazz88 is the Twin Cities' only all-jazz station. Alongside jazz, blues and roots music from local hosts, it carries interviews with touring and Minnesota musicians, a Twin Cities live music calendar, school news, BBC World News, and traffic reports produced with the Minnesota Department of Transportation since 1989. It broadcasts headliner performances from the Twin Cities Jazz Festival each June and is a member of Minnesota's AMPERS network. The 2,900-watt signal from a tower in Falcon Heights covers the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro, and the station streams at jazz88.fm.

Education runs through the station's work. Minneapolis Public Schools students take part in a hands-on program covering all aspects of broadcasting and production, most of them through North High School's radio curriculum and the school-year Jazz With Class program, while students from across the city report for the School News segment and work summer jobs through the Step-Up program. Graduates have gone on to WCCO, Minnesota Public Radio, KQED and other outlets.

The station reported 11 full-time and 7 part-time employees in its 2024 EEO report, among them on-air, music, development and marketing staff. It hires through Minneapolis Public Schools and posts openings, such as its 2025 search for a music director and afternoon host, on the district's job site. Jazz88 also recruits volunteers for hosting, events, member drives, music production and public affairs booking.