WKSU-FM linked up with the Westar 1 satellite on January 22, 1980; this proved useful in the station convincing NPR management to transmit "The Texaco Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee" over the satellite instead of through dedicated phone lines, that change took effect for the March 15, 1980 "Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee" broadcast. The satellite linkup not only greatly improved the fidelity of NPR programs over WKSU-FM, but also allowed the station to begin broadcasting and recording live music programs, including the "Boston Globe Jazz Festival" and the "Salzburg Festival". In addition, a 1979 WKSU-FM production of "A Christmas Carol" presented by the Kent Acting and Touring Company—itself rebroadcast annually by the station—found national distribution on December 25, 1983 by American Public Radio, having chosen WKSU-FM's production over other stations, owing to a "warm, authentic sound."