The station regularly conducts interviews and studio sessions with San Diego and Southern California artists, as well as hosts off-the-air concerts, open mics and poetry readings.

It publishes a quarterly zine featuring pictures from recent events, music opinion pieces, and album reviews, as well as community art and poetry.

Throughout its history, KSDT has tried multiple times to obtain a terrestrial FM radio license but failed due to strict Federal Communications Commission (FCC) broadcasting laws and its proximity to Mexico, whose stations occupy much of the usual US educational band.

Its current mission statement in part "strives to promote independent music not available from other sources and works to help the San Diego Community as well.

Artists such as Lemmy from Motörhead, Björk, The Flaming Lips, The Meat Puppets, Screaming Trees, Mogwai, Fugazi, and others have recorded station identifications for KSDT in the past.