chron.com | tubular tv | comics | games | horoscopes | iPhone | Quick Search
KTRU
The University of Houston's governing board voted 4-3 in favor of purchasing of the broadcast tower, FM frequency and license that Rice University's KTRU has used for more than 40 years. The sale ends KTRU's run as a terrestrial radio station, and the student-run organization would likely be relegated to the Internet, yet another blow to college radio in the country.
KTRU's demise takes away a home for independent music to be played and promoted in a city with a local scene that has recently begun to thrive.
"As for long term effects, there will be less places in Houston now where touring bands can come in and promote their music," said Matthew Wettergreen, Caroline Collective co-founder and a co-host of KTRU's Revelry Report for nearly 10 years. "And less locations for people to learn about what's going on in local arenas.
"KTRU was very important both regionally and nationally as a teaching station for the community and for Rice students," said Wettergreen. "For 40 years it has remained uncompromising in its mission to play progressive and independent music. The mission statement was to educate the uneducated ear."
Wettergreen was most troubled that the sale occurred so quietly.
"Nobody at the station was consulted, and the timing of it was almost too perfect, right before students get back to school," he says. "Rice always stands by its reputation for having students help make informed decisions, this clearly was the opposite of that."
Rice University president David W. Leebron had this to say in a letter about the sale:
"We made the decision to sell the radio tower and frequency for several reasons. The economic downturn which began two years ago has forced Rice -- and virtually all colleges and universities across the country -- to make hard choices to prioritize spending and maximize the use of our resources. As we have implemented necessary budget cuts over the past two years, our goal has been to focus on our core missions of teaching and research and, to the extent possible, to avoid layoffs. We have constantly asked, and will continue to ask, how we can best apply our resources to achieve our aspirations.
"The KTRU tower stood out as one of the university’s most underutilized resources. In an era when Internet radio is rapidly growing in popularity, it became apparent that the 50,000-watt radio station that broadcasts KTRU's programming is a valuable but vastly underutilized resource that is not essential to providing our students the wide range of opportunities they need, including media opportunities."
Under the plan, U of H's KUHF (88.7) will become a 24-hour news and information station, while KTRU's 91.7 will be retagged KUHC, playing classical music and arts information 24 hours a day.
SO WRONG. ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF $$ OVER EVERYTHING ELSE IN THIS DOG-EAT-DOG WORLD..LESS CREATIVITY , MORE CORPORATE CRAP FOR HOUSTON BROADCASTING. RICE RADIO WAS ESSENTIAL TO MY MUSIC LIFE HERE .... ALTERNATIVE COLLEGE RADIO IS BEING MURDERED& THIS CITY IS LESSER FOR IT. GUESS IT IS A "TEACHABLE MOMENT" IN THE EXTREME NEGATIVE FOR RICE STDENTS& DEVOTED KTRU LISTENERS. SHAME ON YOU....
Why don't you start a station with a format that you lament so much? How about competeing in the arena of ideas and services? Surely there is a market for the format?
Sorry, replacing one public station with a different one is not corporate crap. But good luck with your "rage against the NPR."
Know what else is essential? A caps-lock key.
A blessing in disguise... terrestrial radio is going the way of the dinosaurs; nevermind its history as a government regulated propaganda pipeline. Since when has "web-based" been indicative of doom?
Since I got a 45 minute commute (each way).
I listen to web-based radio on my commute - via my 3g cell phone and aux-in port on my radio.
Me too. There are probably a gazillion different stations out there but I'm quite happy with the ones I have set up on Pandora. The best part is I don't have to listen to Mattress Mack or any of the other obnoxious commercials that the radio waves are saturated with during the lunchtime hour and drive home.
I, and many others like me, can't afford cell phone internet plans and upgraded car stereos. I suppose I will have to suck it up and swallow a double dose of Justin Bieber to and from the house.
KTRU was an icon. Who the hell else is going to introduce you to bands like I Am The World Trade Center, Seventeen Pigmyes and host a weekly children's show and Reggaee show.
But this city does need a 24 hour news station, and KRTU has been playing a lot of fuzz lately.
Micheal Berry has all but killed 740.
Hmmm... one college sells it's radio frequency to... another college. Still trying to figure out how exactly that's suposed to be a blow to college radio. It's never explained in this article.
I'll tell you.
U of H merely owns the license. They do not operate or pay for KUHF. KTRU was created, operated, and funded by the students. That is an opportunity UH students never had or will have with KUHF.
That is the great tragedy, that this is a resource created by students at Rice. Years ago a commercial classical station, KRTS, wanted to boost its signal. To do so would have meant obliterating KTRU's signal so the station paid for the 50,000watt tower. That was a mixed blessing for KTRU because while listenership increased, the University saw the station as a resource to be manipulated and controlled. When the administration tried to take over KTRU ten years ago, student s rose up and took back the station. Why because it was their station, not the administration's.
Sadly though, year after year the administration has been trying to wrestle the station away from the students. Despite the fact that the board serve the Rice community, they clearly realized that asking the community would not result in support for the sale. So, taking a lesson from the decade old fiasco, the board did it during the summer break without consulting anyone.
In fact, that is the most contemptible part not mentioned above in Andrew’s article. In the same letter from president, Lebron writes,
"As much as I prefer to consult widely and involve all stakeholders in important decisions, this sale required months of complicated and, by necessity, confidential negotiations."
In other words, just pay your student fees and shut the fuck up. We run this University, not you.
I don't understand how the president of Rice can claim that the tower is underutilized when virtually every single local, national and international act is given exposure through this medium. I can't even begin to recall how many bands, musicians and artists I learned of and changed me because of this radio station. Every single day Rice radio was an outlet for underexposed and outside-of-the-mainstream music with dedicated timeslots for a diverse range of genres and eras. Rice radio never played the same thing twice in one day. Diverseworks and several other galleries were always promoted and supported. Rice radio gave us a sense of communion and leverage in pushing the Houston music/art scene. You always found out about something through KTRU. You could always count on someone saying "I heard it on KTRU." I know there is no going back. But there should really be an appeal or portest of some sort to change this decision. Thank you for everything Rice radio volunteers, personnel and anyone who kept it alive. Even you soft-spoken annoying indie kids. You will all be missed. The legacy will live on. Unfortunately this is like many historic and cultural monuments in Houston: torn-down, sold or underappreciated. Let it not be forgotten.
I think they mean it's underutilized in the economic sense.
As in, an underutilized resource that Rice was paying a lot of money to maintain but that wasn't bringing in enough to justify not selling it.
I always figured that the radio station was an educational component of the school, rather than a revenue stream. In that sense, I think it was utilized rather well. And even in an economic sense the station was a loss leader - it established alot of goodwill for the school throughout Houston and helped make it a popular consideration for alot of local high school kids.
Except it isn't. A tiny group of KTRU people run it, enjoy it and bask in their achievements.
The majority of Rice could use 9.5 million USD for other things
Again with those phantom numbers -- would this be the "tiny group" of 55% of the Rice student body that wanted to increase the station's funding? Said it to you elsewhere, sir: just because *you* dislike something doesn't mean everybody agrees with you.
As far as the note earlier on in this thread about the university spending a lot of money to maintain the station, that's not true. KTRU's budget comes from a blanket tax on the students. The transmitter was donated, the equipment was donated or bought out of that budget, and the license was bought back when they were cheap -- the only things the Rice administration pays for are the electricity to run the place and the three salaried employees (all of whom will be staying on no matter what happenes, apparently).
This wasn't a case of "this thing costs us so much to keep running, and nobody cares about it, so we're going to do everybody a favor and liquidate it." This was "hey, nobody gives a crap about this little punk station, and somebody wants to buy it for $10 million, so who cares what anybody thinks?"
very effin sad, I have worked with DL on the Vinyl Frontier and Matthew on the Revelry Report for awhile. unbelievably sad!!!!!!!!!!!!!
s
The radio station cannot sustain itself so it has to go. Besides it was more like a far left wing talking forum. The Houston Chronicle can take care of that by themselves.
KTRU 91.7 did not have talk shows so I'm not sure what you're talking about. Hoss.
Wrong. That is done by KPFT.
Well the sale *did* net almost ten million dollars for Rice, which will be used to build a new cafeteria for students, among other things. As a former student, I can honestly say I never really listened to KTRU (or to the radio at all, for that matter). The few times I accidentally dialed into the station in my car they were playing pretty bad music. While it's unfortunate that the small number of students who were actively involved in KTRU will be adversely affected, I think the benefits to the university as a whole (and to Houston) far outweigh any negative effects from the sale. The new KUHF station will raise money to finance their acquisition of KTRU's tower. If KTRU were really meant to have lasted, its listeners could have pitched in to save it, but somehow I doubt its listening base is capable of producing such monetary support. So it goes!
What? Can't you see the importance of a station that supports local musicians and artists? You think another cafeteria is better? The news came out today, starting from rumors from the Houston Press, and lots of people are trying to fight it.
"If KTRU were really meant to have lasted, its listeners could have pitched in to save it"
The sale was kept secret from students and listeners until the night before the UH Board of Regents was voting. How were they supposed to pitch in and save it?
KTRU had 50-120 students involved at any time, and had to turn down DJ applications some years. What size/popularity of a student organization is sufficient to you such that the university can't terminate it if the money's good enough?
In your article you say "yet another blow to college radio in the country," however your argument does not make sense. KTRU was sold to another college, not to a private entity.
Maybe you are just unhappy that ktru will "be retagged KUHC, playing classical music and arts information 24 hours a day" and you don't like classical music or art or you just don't like the University of Houston.
KUHF is National Public Radio, and that is the station that will be using the tower. The new staion that plays classical music/arts information will probably also be controlled by Houston NPR, while KTRU at Rice was programmed and staffed by students. When this article refers to "college radio," I believe it's indicating stations that are content-controlled by college students, not by the staffers of public radio who are usually employees. College radio is traditionally a format for students to get hands-on experience programming and exposing a wider audience to lesser-known music. So it's going from traditional "college radio" to a public radio station, even though the sale was technically to another university. UH buying it doesn't mean UH students will control the format or get airtime.
Rice people look down on UH types.
RICE girls and boys look down on everything. Which makes their undergrad grads worthless hires for me.
Classical music? Puh-leeze!
the good news is finally one of the largest markets in the country can enjoy a full day of NPR like other major cities do. Rice radio will be missed but can still thrive under newer conditions.
The argument excels here for use of the internet. A lot of people use NPR through podcasts. (hint) Perhaps, though, you will enjoy your nationally syndicated repeats of Garrison Keillor's sappy, droning voice at the expense of the interest and creativity and passion -not only of the students and volunteers who ran the station but culturally isolated youth growing up in Houston's teeming suburbs- that this purchase will be actively discarding as so much "underutilized" scat.
I disagree that this is a bad move for Houstonians. One privatre university is selling this station to a larger public university. I seldom listened to KTRU because it was a little too ecletic for my tastes. I'm a news junkie, and I look forward to being able to stay up with events 24/7 on KUHF. Meanwhile, I can get a classical music fix on KUHC. UH needed the two stations to be able to broadcast for formats, and KTRU was an under-utilized medium that indulged the tastes of whatever Rice students happened to be running the show in a particular year/semester.
Houston is a terrible radio city. We have few choices. About the only stations I listen to are KUHF and KPFT. The rest are a mix of right-wing talk radio, Christian broadcasting, Spanish-language programming, and awful top 40 (current and retro) stations. This move just improved radio in Houston a tiny bit.
On Wednesday nights I will really miss Blues on High Fi. It was one of my personel favorites. Man,what a shame.
Amazing to me how there is this article and just a little further in the paper is an article titled "Rice University makes magazine's Top 25 colleges list" Seem Rice beat out Princeton this year. Guess that was before the sale though. And for those of you wondering, yes, Princeton has a radio station. http://www.wprb.com/
This is a big loss for local radio....KTRU played such a great variety of music, not only great Indie rock but also mixed in a ton of wonderful and rare tunes from the last century, and from all cultures and genres. KTRU introduced me to World Radio News as well. I heard you will still be able to listen online, which is good, but I will miss driving around on Wednesday summer nights, windows down, icy cold Dr. Pepper while Clint spun his Blues in Hi Fi. Headed to KTRU.org to sign the petition against the sale.
And I care because.......?
:(
Sad to hear, they play a nice mix of non-commercial music. At least they weren't taken over by some brain deadening 'clear channel' with the 23 song playlists.Guess that leaves KPFT as the only diverse station. Since it's 95% listener sponsered, no changes anytime soon.
Wow. The only radio station in Houston worth listening to is now gone. Heartwrenching.
"The radio station cannot sustain itself so it has to go. Besides it was more like a far left wing talking forum. The Houston Chronicle can take care of that by themselves."
The Chronk? Left wing?
Looks like we all just got our USDA recommended daily allowance of disinformation for today.
There is still KPFT. Rice radio shows: call KPFT and get on the community spotlight, get space in the lineup. KPFT is an awesome station broadcasting in HD x2.
Wow. The only good radio station in Houston is gone. Heartwrenching.
It isn't gone. It's just been brought into the 21st century. Students will still DJ, manage the office, and decide on the programming. Blues and hi-fi will continue as will all the others...just on the internet where most of the population listened to it anyway. You just hate change. You can already stream internet in your car. If you cannot let go of the old radio dinosaur, then start another 50W radio station like the student engineers before you. I say grab the wave of the future or stay behind and become irrelevant. The student population at large has voted down every single KTRU blanket tax increase every year. It's just a small minority that can't accept change. Thank God Edgar Odell Lovett wasn't afraid of change, or Rice wouldn't be a top-20 school today. He constantly reinvented Rice. He constantly looked to the future and to what was best for ALL of Rice. To keep the status quo is to go backwards. You should be happy that you have leadership that looks at what is best for Rice as a whole.
Bummer. KACC is still avalailable on 89.7 FM.
I agree. The Gulf Coast Rocker is still alive and well!!!!
KACC is the best station in the area in my opinion. Hopefully they'll look at what happened here and make sure it doesn't happen to them as well.
It would be nice to have a real 24-hour news station. KTRH is a shameful shadow of it's former self.
TDH, it's reading comprehension time. Rice did not beat out Princeton.
One of the truely beautiful things about Houston was murdered today. This is a sad day for anyone in Houston who listened outside of the box.
CRY ME A RIVER...and then get a job.
Learn how to spell truly.
what about rice baseball? internet only?
The post above about driving around listening to Blues in HiFi... That's what I'll miss. Driving around listening to that show, the reggae show, the local show, the hiphop show... It really improved houston life. I feel sorry for all of the people that never got it or never appreciated it. What a great loss.
So sad that it is replacing college radio, but you do have to acknowledge that at any other time we would collectively be jumping for joy at the thought of 24 hour NPR.
KTRU played annoying music.
The best college radio station is still WSOU 89.5 FM - Seton Hall Pirate Radio - plays mostly death metal and other aggressive stuff. They do have a few other genres during the week, but the masses spoke, it is a successful station as people get to listen to good metal and not the normal FM Top 40 Payola garbage (Maddonna, BSpears, U2 (can suck), etc.).
For those who don't understand the basics of Houston non-commercial radio and its history: KUHF may be licensed to the University of Houston, but it it not college radio, and has not been college radio for 25 years. KUHF is not operated by students; students are hardly even allowed near the place. I have nothing against KUHF or NPR, and am a regular listener to 88.7, but this move represents a great loss to those who care about music and independent voices.
The institution of college radio, which KTRU has exemplified since 1971 (for better or worse), has provided a broadcast outlet for thousands of independent, unsigned, and experimental musicians—hundreds of whom have gone on to regional, national, or global prominence, affecting the cultural, social, and political landscapes of millions of listeners. These artists may even have affected your own frame of reference, whether you know it or not.
Greater Houston will no longer be able to listen to "Treasures of the '60s," "Blues in Hi-Fi," "The Mutant Hardcore Flower Hour," or even a Rice baseball game on FM radio while driving, cycling, or walking. While many Greater Houston residents may not care, a great many others do. Most of us don't have Internet in our cars or on our bicycles; if we did, we'd be paying through the nose for wireless Internet, while FM radio is free.
Can someone explain the reason for selling the transmitter? Leebron says it's because it was under-utilized and that 'a recent Arbitron report showed that KTRU's audience was so small that it did not even register in the ratings' but what a load of crock! The last survey done was in 1997 and it estimated that 23,000 people listen at least 3 hrs/wk. Unless Rice performed a survey on their own - KTRU was thinking about allocating funds for another report - they are just making stuff up!
Arbitron measures radio listening continuously in Houston and issues a monthly report. KTRU doesn't get enough listeners to show up in the survey.
Here's a link to the ratings over the last three months:
http://www.radio-info.com/site/markets/grid/houston-galveston
That site only shows the last three months (Arbitron limits what the media can publish for free) but even if you look over the last year they're not there.
As far as the non-commercial stations go, as of July KSBJ is the most popular, followed by KUHF and KTSU.
You are bragging about 23,000 listeners in a city of over 4 million? That is EXACTLY why it never shows up on the Arbitron ratings! (And yes, Arbitron does constantly survey about all radio stations, including KTRU.) You need to register listenership of at least 1/2 of 1 percent to make a blip on the Arbitron scale, and KTRU couldn't even live up to that small standard. If it was student "owned," then how much were you paying to keep it running? How much does it cost to run a 50,000 watt station? Reminds me of kids today who go back and live off their parents after high school or college. They think someone owes them something, or that money just grows on trees.
What a bunch of weenies. Grow up, move out of your parents' attic, get your own place and live in the real world now, 'k?
Sheesh. . . .
Holy crap! I did not even know there was a station in Houston at 91.7!
If KTRU were not such a terrible station someone might actually care. That station seems to be a contest between a bunch of geeks seeing who could out wierd each other.
SO TRUE. No one but the Rice nerds and Montrose streetpeople will miss the station.
Another long term institution beheaded. Was a great station to hear new underground, blues and other hard to find music. The world is so corporate and money greed now. Thank God the appocalapse is coming? haha Too many white conservative old farts running the show.
I'd just like to point out that KUHF does support and promote local artists of all sorts. Their daily show "The Front Row" is an hour-long show featuring live performances and interviews. And it isn't just classical music and opera. Musical Theatre, Jazz, Blues, Country, you name it. The station also broadcasts live performances from both Rice University and the University of Houston. So while, yes, this isn't a "college station" by any means, it still is a station that serves the arts in Houston. And by splitting into 2 stations, KUHF will have even more airtime to devote to local artists and musicians.
My condolences to those mourning the loss of KTRU, but this is a great news for the KUHF lovers. Houston hasn't had a 24 hour classical music station since the demise of KRTS. It will be nice to switch between NPR on KUHF, and classical music on KUHC.
As a Rice graduate, I can say the most unfortunate thing about this sale is that it did not occur 15 years ago. With the exception of Rice sporting events, this radio station produced more trash than the entire Kardashian bloodline. My apologies to all those who enjoy hearing a gerbil scurry over a synthesizer mixed with african drumbeats and actual audio of cats coughing up hairballs.
As a Rice alum, I think you are being shortsighted. Maybe KTRU had outlived its time--that's a debate that would have been worth having (I loved it in the 80s). However, that debate was not had because Leebron secretly negotiated the sale and only announced it once it was a fait accompli. So, given that Leebron is willing to do this with KTRU, you have to ask yourself--is there any other asset at Rice that he might be considering selling to raise money for his pharoanic building schemes? Is there some part of Rice that you, as an alumnus, treasure that Leebron might right now be in the process of selling--without consulting the alumni or the students? The answer is--could be!
Very well put and hilarious.
Wah, wah, wah. Get over it. FM is a dying breed anyway. Listen and even broadcast your own 'station' over the internet for practically nothing.
The stations on public (those stations NOT subsidized by the government..IE: NPR) airwaves survive because of one reason, SUPPLY AND DEMAND. Why are there so many "Right-Wing" talk shows and stations? Answer..because it's what THE PEOPLE listen to. The only way NPR and other 'less popular' stations survive is because of government help or private 'donations' made by left-wing donors. Talk radio survives because of the FREE MARKET rules. If people didn't listen (and LIKE it), it wouldn't survive. Kind of like using corn for fuel. If it was a good idea and made money, you wouldn't be able to stop it's success.
Brilliant. So the only content that should exist on the airwaves is the sh*t subsidized by the lowest common denominator. And how is a "left-wing donation" any different than a commerically-funded right-wing radio? Isn't it just people paying for what they like to hear? Think about your argument before drooling on the keyboard please.
President Lebron is right. KTRU was not serving the community well, Rice or Houston. Even based on those ancient 1997 numbers, 23,000 listeners is nothing compared to the nearly 400,000 the new KUHC will have.
KTRU's programming was unique but it was not worth the expense of maintaining a 50,000 watt transmitter and tower.
At least Rice didn't sell it to Clear Channel or CBS so that we would get another clone-formatted station.
Rice students have had the best radio programming in Houston for many years. You might not like all they play, but there is at least one show you would have enjoyed:
Treasures of the Sixties
Blues in Hi-Fi
Chicken Skin Music
Mutant Hardcore and afterwards on Thursday evening
Local Music Show
Kids’ Show on Saturday
Contemporary classical music
In Houston’s current radio line up, only the syndicated Little Steven’s Underground Garage (KKRW) and KTSU will get my FM ear. TSU probably needs the $ more—applause to them for sticking the course. Their new Saturday afternoon format—along with their Friday programming, River Walk Jazz and modern jazz showcases—is great.
What is 88.7 going to become? I feel like news and information is adequately covered by KPFT on the FM and the several talk formats on the AM. At some point, we’ll run out of experts for all of these stations and be forced to look for some music. In English…
A long long long time ago I got my first real taste of punk rock through alt radio, I think it was KTRU.
I listen to KTRU from time to time, I probably liked about 50% of the music but I liked the idea of independent music 100%.
Independent projects like this have always been the "thorn in side" of Administrations. They have historically seen this as a waste of time and resources, and gives the school a less than positive image. To some people music is for the background, for others it is big part of their life. Those that fall in to the later category value variety & honestly in music more than the first.
Most of the FM stations have fallen to satellite stations where as the one DJ is programming the day's play list on to a computer for all the local stations to play. The record companies pay for their songs (directly & indirectly) to be included on that play list. A lot of up and coming artist don't have a snowball's chance...
Oh Lordy...let's be real. The people running KTRU were elitest and thought the ENTIRE REGION was listening to them...in actuality, the signal was so poor, that if your were outside of the 610 loop, you were never likely to hear the station at all. And if you did year it and wanted to make a request...the DJ's were indignant that you'd want to hear something other than what THEY WERE PLAYING.
So Long KTRU...you hit your stride in the mid 80's...since then you've been pretty irrelevant.
The hipster dj will now have to find something else to do.
Sometimes we don't like it but life goes on, changes occur and.....sometimes the changes are good - sometimes they are bad. It will be like a death to the ones who were utilizing the station at Rice; perhaps it will be a prognosticator of good things to come at UH.
KTRU has been playing crap for almost 2 decades now. Even Rice students don't listen to it.
NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
I've been a KTRU listener for 28 years! For the last 10+ years I listen on my computer because I live in Minnesota now. So once again it's all about $$$$.
I just hope the Rice students will be able to keep broadcasting on the internet.
Just like Houston's old buildings, KTRU gets no respect. That sucks. Bigtime.
RIP KTRU
Your eclecticism will be missed.
Not sure why this is sad - KUHF is easily the best station in all of Houston, I hardly ever change my dial from 88.7. It's too bad Rice won't have a student-run station on the air, but I will take insightful news and commentary over listening to a hipster's iPod any day.
Welcome, Rice students and volunteer programmers to the wonderful world of radio! Formats change. Ownership changes. One of your staff recently wrote an editorial in the Thresher about how KTRU isn't bullet proof but is rather a fuzzy bunny. Well, you guys and your listeners didn't take care of that little fuzzy bunny and now its gone. What, you thought it would be here forever? Now, there were some of you who saw the light when the power was increased from 3,000 watts (back then that noise you heard walking around Miller Outdoor Theatre was the signal hitting the ground) to 50,000 and fully expected it would become ripe for the picking. Well, it was ripe. It's just that the picking happened now.
If those of you lamenting the format loss give a fat rats, take the programming to KPFT. If you have an audience base, and one that will respond by reaching into its checkbook, you might convince Pacifica management to give you a shot. It won't be handed to you on a platter like Rice did with KTRU.
Yes, the loss of this cultural icon is just that, a loss. But if you really care as much as you say you do - get to work! Now!
Photos of the inside of KPFT from 2008 - I shot pics of my friend Dr. Miggy while she DJ'd during her show.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/groovehouse/sets/72157604250148094/detail/
Yes, saying there is a 'pure' and 'real' quality to the station since it was run by students is a nice ideal to dream about but, in fact, it honestly wasn't run that well and those students who ran it over the years most certainly had their own biases they let slip into station programmning when it'd actually been wiser to be open-minded and fair.
Sure, I'd rather have the station than not have it and I'd rather have it than the ridiculous bubble gum Clear Channel drivel; but, it'd be revisionist history to write now of how great the station was and the massive influence it had on the scene here when in fact that couldn't be further from the truth. 40 years of sub-mediocrity does not an influential station make.
Ideally it'd be nice to think it was a huge help to the local music community, but as a lifelong musician in the trenches here I can say for a fact it won't be greatly missed.
I heard it might be turned into a mexican radio station
Now all that's left is KACC, which has a very limited signal. These are indeed sad days for Houston in terms of radio.
If KTRU was as unpopular, irrelevant, or harmless as many of the posters here believe, then why did the Rice administration kill it in the middle of the night without any consultation with the students or the community, in the summer before all the students came back?
The way Leebron handled this was really sleazy. He understood enough to know that he was poking a hornet's nest, which is why he did it during the sleepiest part of the year for Rice. But he may not realize just how much animosity this is going to stir up towards his administration. Goliath may have finally slain David, but I imagine he is going to walk away from the fight with a tarnished reputation and a lot more hassles and headaches than $9.5 million worth. If you support KTRU, then do whatever you can to make this a Pyrrhic victory for Leebron.
When you start negotiating a deal, you have no idea how long it will take. Leebron couldn't have known when agreement terms would have been reached with UH. Conspiracy theorists always try to malign those who make any changes whatsoever. He's kept Rice a top 20 school when it could easily fall out in the last few years. You think your world is shaken up now, wait and see what would happen if Rice falls out of that group. You'll lose the superstar faculty and then the superstar students will follow. Without the superstar faculty, you don't bring in the research dollars and you cannot fund the research that attracts the superstars (see the cycle?). Every university across the country has had to make very difficult decisions. Leebron is focusing on the core mission, and he cannot afford to keep throwing good money after bad. You're cutting off your nose to spite your face. Someone has to make the hard decisions that will benefit more than a handful of students.
I'm a Rice alumnus, and have been listening to KTRU regularly since about 1976. This a tremendous loss to the community. I still listen to KTRU regularly (in my non-interweb friendly car) and, while a lot of it escapes my aesthetic (or, as my nine year old says, no more college music, dad!) it is the best music station in Houston. What a loss to the community, and, more importantly, what a loss to the University.
Chris Pando
Wiess '82
I just moved from Houston. KTRU was one of the few things in Houston that I missed. I buy a lot of music. I don't buy blues or soul but LOVED listening to "Blues in Hi-fi". That DJ had been on for years and had a lot of love for that music - and was willing to share it. Where else will you hear that? Thank you. I was introduced to all sorts of genres and sub-genres that I don't ordinarily hear from KTRU. That was awesome. I also miss the 60s, post-punk, hip-hop and improvised music shows. I didn't like everything or every show on KTRU, but I sure was glad that it existed. There are lots of sounds out there that don't get played on FM. Most people aren't even aware of it. People looking for something more or something different or something new to them have lost something.
If you really wanted to save money, cancel you sports programs. They do nothing, NADA, to educate your local genius students.
My issue is these stations are owned by colleges and are funded mostly by students BUT are not used in the educational process - not by Communication, RTV, drama, etc. schools. They are not for profits who support faculty and private employees through fund raisers.
They will play NO programming by the students, and probably wont even let students on the board....
Beside, it appears radio is close to dead outside or rural America, so WHY did UH need it? So much for education on the aiirwaves, whether it be for agenda or localism.
Let's be honest here, 98% of the time, KTRU was completely and utterly unlistenable, by nearly anyone's standards. They took what could have been a fantastic opportunity to have a decent radio station in Houston, and just completely blew it. Rather than playing good lesser-known music, instead, it seems like they were simply interested in playing the most obscure and dissonant "music", regardless of whether or not it was actually, well, good.
LULZ!!!!
I have been eagerly anticipating this day!!
Finally, KTRU is GONE!!! MWAHAHAHA!
Cool, a new classical station!
I guess I'll miss the Funk What You Heard show, MK Ultra and that block of jazz that nobody listened to on Sundays, but honestly I always missed them anyway.
I'm not sure where I'll go to hear bored-sounding white girls strum acoustic guitars and sing off key about juvenile interests like candy, horses, and "boys" anymore though.
And where will I be able to hear a bored, monotone elitist recite ads for programs s/he isn't interested in over a backdrop of dead silence?
I'll also no longer have a place to listen to 6 minutes of orchestrated white noise while sitting in traffic.
Guess I'll have to throw out all these ugly, boring and bland yellow KTRU shirts too.
Worst of all, how am I going to identify myself? I guess I'm going to have to figure out what I like for myself now.
Bummer.
The bright side to KTRU being sold is I won't have to hear Come See My Dead Person on the airwaves ever again.
Thanks Nick! based on your mention of the band I checked them out. They are my favorite new band, i cant wait to go to one of their shows now!!!!
I'm sure you're one of their personal friends, if not a member.
YES!!!! Outstanding!
What's funny is that I don't think CSMDP has ever been played on KTRU, so .... you're dumb. lol
In all seriousness though, awesome response. :)
Is that why you call their DJs, "elitists?" There's probably not a more open or welcoming station around than KTRU, so calling them elitists because of the school they attend is pretty moronic. They don't even require DJs be Rice students, pretty exclusive right?
Thanks for the name drop!
Gosh Japandemic you are so smart, just like the other people arguing about arbitrary nonsense that doesnt really matter. Get a job HIPPIES!
I went to U of H. My son goes to Rice. I have listened to both stations for many years. It may be sad, but it makes sense. The world keeps changing - we must adapt.
What? No more S&M show? Oh,wait...
I wasn't part of the very original crew that created KTRU, but I joined up quickly in the early 1970's when the station was not yet broadcasting an over-the-air signal (just can't forget the sound of that 60-cycle hum within the colleges from the electric line interference). My time there as a DJ, DJ scheduler and "special projects director" for live concert broadcasts while a Rice student from 1969-1974 remains among my fondest memories of that experience.
Since I have long since come to understand how strongly "money talks" in the pantheon of administrative poohbahs which always determines those decisions on Rice's current and future actions, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised by the decision or the manner by which it was accomplished. I made a conscious decision 10 years ago not to set foot on the campus or provide donations to any part of the university again in my lifetime, with the possible exception of KTRU -- guess that exception had now been eliminated as well.
KTRU, RIP!
My son goes to Rice and is all upset about this sale. Then I asked him how many hours a week he actually listened to the station he changed the subject. Fact is the station was underutilized, served a handfull of students and will just be a totem for those who want to rant. UH will get more use of this station in one day than Rice did in a year. The money from the sale will benefit the Rice community.
I agree with you TOTALLY!!
This is great news. KTRU is a radical left wing nutjob group and they spread their liberal lies across the airwaves.
Nobody is "Losing" KTRU. Its just going 100% on-line.
Rice sees the future and now its going to be the future. Where have you jokers been? LISTEN TO ON-LINE RADIO! I know you guys don't, because so many of the shows I go to aren't well attended. Then, you guys pay twice as much (or more!) the next or 3rd time through to see them live.
Cut to the chase, its all on line. Rice gets it.
Grüße Fräulein, Sturm-Verbot-Führer, it thanks for to God it' S more
If you miss the jazz on KTRU go to KTSU.
Conveniently leave out the part where they're still going to be available on line!
Loved KTRU! Sorry it had to go.
What a world!!
THE_BIRDS: "The sale ends KTRU's run as a terrestrial radio station, and the student-run organization would likely be relegated to the Internet..."
I've been listening for 25 years. I don't like much of what's played, but that's not the point. I listen for the jewels that I would NEVER otherwise be aware. Maybe this is painful but inevitable. Maybe music, mobile and otherwise, will all soon be internet enabled and nothing loved here will be dramatically lost forever. What is definitely most painful and shameful is how people who never "got it" or appreciated it, now take glee in defecating within the torn and saddened heart of those affected with declarations of how they deserved it because they were unapologetically different. And that stuck in your craw. So now you get your revenge. For shame. History is smeared with people like you. Will we ever evolve a conscience?
PLEASE sign the petition to save KTRU! http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/KTRU
Its not "relegated" to the internet. Wake up.
All the good radio stations are on line. I have been listening to online radio for over 10 years. Staying "On-Air" is like keeping a home phone line.
Online is where its at. Has been for a decade. Best station on this planet is ONLY available online.
Rice gets this, albeit late, even for their standards. Don't "Save KTRU," they are not drowning.
I have been listening to KTRU since 1978. The station will be missed. It was my favorite of all time. I already missed Chris Anderson, Ray and Scott of the Mutant Hardcore, Stan of the Treasure of the Sixties, Marilyn of the M&M and then S&M shows. Justin of the Local Show, Cat or Kat on jazz on Sundays and MK Ultra. This is a big loss.
If the primary purpose of college is to prepare young men and women for the demands of adulthood, then KTRU is an abject failure. It wasn't a radio station in any real sense: it did not serve the needs of the community; it did not provide any real training for a career in broadcasting. It was the aural equivalent of a Che Guevarra sticker on the back window of the brand new sportcar Daddy bought you for graduation, a bunch of self-absorbed, spoiled kids who were using someone else's money to Make A Statement and Express Themselves. The crappy little station my high school ran back in the late 70's adhered to a higher standard of professionalism than KTRU. the sale isn't about money; it's about killing bad radio. Honestly, in this market, in the current political climate, do you think that an all-NPR talk format is going to make money? Now if you want to argue that KUHF, which has in its possession an extensive jazz catalog, should make the new format a combination of classical by day, jazz by night, or if you want to argue that the talk station should feature some room for local artists (years ago, KPFT had "The New Wood Showcase", which did just that), or that there should be a place, late night or on weekends, for experimental music or stuff you just can't hear anywhere else, then I'm with ya. As for Buckdog's claim that KTRU-bashing is for those who "don't get it," I get it just fine. Stoned, 23 year old dreadlock wearing white dudes from Cypress will have to go online to feed their need for hours on end of Finnish bands striking random guitar chords while someone chants "BOING BOING BOING" (I'm pretty sure that's what I heard the last time I tuned in). The whole world is yawning! The whole world is yawning!
This is a crime. We are a big city without any resources to underground or college music ... and our OWN local music without KTRU! That's just pathetic. Houston, land of zombees and the corporation.
This sucks. Just sucks.
Dear KTRU fanboy/fangirl mob,
You are literally perpetuating the definition of "butt-hurt fag"
Stop it or die already.
Sincerely,
Real Life
Apparently, there are many of you who have died on the inside long ago and don't feel anything anymore. This makes it difficult for you to understand the loss that KTRU is to music. Let me explain. Believe it or not, there are many of us out there that care about music and enjoy music different than is what is offered on the Clear Channel stations.Commercial stations only play music that will sell ad time. This severely limits the possibility of you hearing a lot of music you'd probably really enjoy if you gave it a try, as they will only play music they can sell to the bland personality mom in the pizza rolls commercial. This may come as a shock, but there's more to music than Tom Petty, Beyonce, and Fleetwood Mac. Much more. There are beautiful styles and types of music out there you have never even imagined. KTRU played music you never even would have been exposed to anywhere else. A lot are types music you currently enjoy, except with bands that you've never heard of, that are much better than the groups that are offered on commercial radio. Stuff like, rock, rap, country, classical, reggae, blues, etc. You like Green Day and No Doubt? Try some Melt Banana. Like hip-hop? Try some Dizzy Rascal. You would not have ever heard of big groups like R.E.M. and many, many others if it had not been for stations like KTRU playing them first. There's music from the past and from all parts of the world. KTRU has all of this music and more. To those of us who still feel and love music, a musical resource like KTRU going off the air is a major loss. There is no other place in Houston where you may here some great new British Hip-Hop or a Muppet record you used to have as a kid all on the same station. People that are passionate about music are taking this very hard. KTRU's music is fascinating unique in a sea of mediocrity. This station is close to people's hearts. I can see why it's loss is difficult for the badge wearing heartless to understand.
Okay, I really like the idea of you recommending Melt Banana to a Green Day/No Doubt fan, but please be fair....
Pizza Rolls are effing good, man.
That twit's comment did not deserve nearly this articulate and heartfelt a response, but I am very glad you wrote this.
One major difference between the KTRU and NPR/KUHF formats are the number of commercials on NPR and KUHF - masquerading under the "Brought to you by" and then a listing of the law firms etc. that buy the commercial space.
It will be a shame when KPFT is the only non-commercial station left on the air in Houston.
If "radio is dead" then how is having a 24-hour classical station going to benefit the community as has been claimed, or a 24 hour NPR station for that matter. Why don't those listeners go online.
KTRU has been online for many years now, so why are so many people acting like this is a brand new idea? I do most of my radio listening in my truck, which came with an FM radio so I'm reluctant to purchase an expensive new device for the privilege,
More elitist than classical music? Not possible.
And to all the free market conservatives who support the KUHC transition: Get a job, reknecks.
Yay, more commercial and boring stuff on the radio, and they wonder why no ones listen to the radio anymore
I disagree that the sale is final. Officials may wish us to believe it is so, but I think they will be proven wrong. David yet may slay Goliath. To see what everyone can do to stop the sale, whether you are a KTRU or Rice alum or not, visit savektru.org
Soooo, you just lost your 50k watt transmitter and soon, the City of Houston will be further tortured by MORE NPR diversion in the form of carefully deconstructed half-truths and long-haired music doldrums, 24/7.
Ok kiddies-time to get creative. So you want to broadcast on the FM frequency and you want to do it cheap and legal? Simple solution. Build on the ashes and arise phoenix-styley from the smoldering pile with some good old-fashioned, down-home pirate radio.
Perhaps a 3200 WATT ERP FM TRANSMITTER SYSTEM ('bout 5k) and some equally affordable transponders, and a crude yet legal tower for the antenna. Sure, the range is limited in comparison with 50K and all that copper, but the result is free renegade radio in Houston and a way to truly bring community together-Individuals would have to maintain the equipment, pay for the power, and keep the network of transponders and antennae intact, and it grows alongside the support and commitment.
Oh, and to all you classical and NPR supporters here on this thread in light of the loss of a Houston fixture for over 40 years??
What is there that DOESN'T make me want to kick the pseudo-intellectual and fully-indoctrinated robotic white folks asses who just LOOOOVE the idea of another classical station and more frikkin' ineffectual NPR?! Nothing. Come over here and get your ass-kickin' ya frikkin sold out automatons!! Go listen to some Bartok and discuss current world affairs with your square friends over a Venti Latte!!
sorry it had to come at the expense of ktru. but Houston needs a full time classical radio station. it is a dis service to a city this big to cant or wont support one. your comments in the last paragraph are a little childish
The actual discussions on current news and events brought to us by NPR and KUHF News is much more important to our community and society as a whole. This station did nothing for the community & the student body at Rice did not support it until they heard it was sold. We, the listeners of NPR and KUHF has been listening, supporting the station, and clamoring for a all news station. We have proved through our listenership online and through the radio that we can support the station and any opportunity to hear serious conversations on serious issues should be celebrated. If the current programming on KTRU will be available online than it is not dying, just being reinvented and if it had the listenership to support the station none of this would be happening.
first of all; not EVERYONE has internet radio in their vehicles or even can afford it with the economy as it is today. There may be many pros and cons; but what is most disturbing is that it was kept a secret from the Rice students, and the students running the station. Leaving them with no say so whatsoever. like it or hate it, the station sale is just another example of big brother sticking it to the truth sayer's and peace makers. There is no Freedom of Speech, or if you do have something to say against these type of tricksters, you need the cash or clout to back it up, or are willing to put a target on your back as being an non-conformist threat to all the liars that herd all the sheeple, and I for one am not a friggin sheep. Peace, and good luck to all those tricksters, as what goes around comes around, and it is true what is said about karma. They are all just living in houses with Golden bars.
Eventually, somebody that is not going to underrate the online world audience. We're not only prospective consumers; we'd like beneficial article content to stay curious, not merely the quest for "bargains".
For me this is like hearing a family member has died. KTRU was a radio station that filled me with music. I was turned on to thousands of artists that i would have never heard if not for KTRU. Ktru introduced me to New Wave, Elecronic, Rap, old rock and roll, new rock and roll, Punk, Irish, Techno, Jazz, the list goes on. I can not think of what i would be like if KTRU had not be there in 1978. Houston has a black hole now that will never be filled. Houston was once cool with radio stations, until KUHF went classical, then KPFT went mainstream, now with KTRU gone that leaves KTSU the only radio station to listen to in the car. Sad!
For me this is like hearing a family member has died. KTRU was a radio station that filled me with music. I was turned on to thousands of artists that i would have never heard if not for KTRU. Ktru introduced me to New Wave, Elecronic, Rap, old rock and roll, new rock and roll, Punk, Irish, Techno, Jazz, the list goes on. I can not think of what i would be like if KTRU had not be there in 1978. Houston has a black hole now that will never be filled. Houston was once cool with radio stations, until KUHF went classical, then KPFT went mainstream, now with KTRU gone that leaves KTSU the only radio station to listen to in the car. Sad!
Post new comment