Still stunned, confused and exhausted from the news that Rice University had agreed to sell the terrestrial broadcast rights and capabilities of its largely student-staffed radio station KTRU (91.7 FM) to the University of Houston System, several dozen DJs, alumni, listeners and a handful of local musicians gathered to brainstorm and commiserate at Sammy’s Pub in the Rice Memorial Center Monday evening.

Read the full article at Houston Press »

This is sad news in Houston Radio. … another major blow to independent music in the 3rd largest city in the United States.

Read the full article on Con Frijoles »

“My experience at KTRU has been the highlight of my years at Rice. Growing up, I was obsessed with music and the independent and college radio stations in my hometown (Cleveland), so as an undergrad, it was a dream come true to be a college radio DJ at one of the largest, most well-respected, and most culturally significant college radio stations in the country.”

Read her full letter »

For Immediate Release

Contact: Joey Yang
Tel: 614/218-4625
Email: joeyyang@gmail.com

KTRU opposes any proposed sale of properties

Aug. 17, Houston – KTRU is a student-run radio station under the authority of its FCC license holder, Rice University, as well as the student body of Rice University. KTRU, with a 50,000 Watt transmitter, serves Rice University and the Houston community as part of the local radio network. KTRU employs two full-time employees, one part-time office assistant, and dozens of volunteer DJ’s from the Rice University and Harris County communities. KTRU is available on the web at ktru.org.

KTRU is actively opposed to Rice University’s attempt to sell its broadcasting license and transmitter to the University of Houston. The organization, which operates through the will of the student body, does not endorse any plan that changes KTRU’s operating abilities.

Rice University has made an attempt to sell KTRU’s broadcasting license and transmitter in secrecy without consent or consultation with KTRU or the Rice student body. This puts the city of Houston and Rice University in danger of losing a vital media outlet.

KTRU refuses to recognize the validity of any agreement as a result of our exclusion from the negotiating table.

KTRU is a one-of-a-kind institution, a powerful, 50,000-watt college radio station that is run and operated by the student body. Only a handful of other college stations in the country have such an asset.

KTRU is known throughout the Houston market for a variety of award-winning shows, including but not limited to it’s weekly Hip-Hop show, the Vinyl Frontier, MK Ultra, wednesday night Blues, Sunday afternoon Jazz, and a local Houston/Texas music show, as well as international music from almost every country on Earth. No other station in the area provides such an array of music.

KTRU is the only 24-hour-a-day student media at Rice University. It is, after Rice Athletics, probably the most visible symbol of Rice within the Houston community. KTRU is the only radio station who broadcasts Rice’s nationally renown baseball team, as well as the home for women’s basketball games.

KTRU has created a Save KTRU twitter page, as well as a google and facebook group under the same names.

KTRU will be willing to answer questions in a scheduled Q&A session as part of its 7:00pm meeting Tuesday night in Sammy’s in the Rice Memorial Center. All members of the media are invited to attend.

There will be a KTRU Emergency meeting in SAMMY’S in the RMC at 7PM tonight. FOX, ABC, and CBS will be there. The public is welcome.

This is a great opportunity to show your concern in a civil, sincere manner.

Rice Map

Response to president of Rice University on notice of termination of KTRU.

Sorry David but I do lament this decision. Some of the most creative people at Rice in the 70′s and 80′s were DJ’s at KTRU. This is an important avenue and expression outlet for creative music and journalistic reporting. I may agree it was underutilized but my challenge to you if to consider how much of that was do to undersupport of the administration. I do realize the world is changing but I hope this is not a backlash against a “leftist Leaning Liberal college radio station’. KTRU kept a numer of students sane and probably saved lives and college careers of many. To take the measly $9.5 million legacy of KTRU and put it into the side building project capital fund for a ”servery” is an affront to all Rice Alumni.

Dont insult your alumni base, take that money and fund permanent blog reporting and creative music, and journalism programs at rice for the students. Pay for cafeteria annexes out of the building fund. Truly insulting.

Dont ignore the legacy of KTRU.

Do a better job and research the legacy of KTRU so you understand what you have killed.

You may now force me to to start a blog against any future alumni donations to the permanent fund until KTRU services in kind are restored to the studen body.

Please reconsider at least part of your decision. The priorities as outlined dont respect KTRU’s legacy.

John Bins, P.E.
Baker 83

Turning KTRU into a fully-dedicated classical station effectively neuters the most creative, boldest radio station we have. KTRU is a station people from other cities encounter and are blown away by when they visit here.

Read the full article at Space City Rock »

Here’s my letter to the administrators:

I am extremely upset by the news I received this morning regarding the sale of KTRU’s radio tower. As a native Houstonian and KTRU DJ / volunteer, I was very proud to be part of KTRU and I had tangible evidence every day that I was participating in something that benefitted the city where I grew up. The availability of adventurous, free-form programming on FM radio was something that made Houston unique and put it in very elite company. I have lived in cities all across the country since graduating in 1993, continuing to develop my love for music of all varieties, and I can say that most places have nothing on the FM dial that will open your mind to new possibilities the way that KTRU has done consistently for 40 years. I’ve also listened to thousands of hours of online radio programs and I know that an online stream without an FM component cannot speak to and support its community the way that KTRU does. Please, please reconsider this uninformed decision and keep KTRU on the radio. If this cannot be done, I will consider it an act of contempt against me and the city whose reputation I have always defended. I will be finished forever with making contributions to Rice.

Daniel L. Pond, ’93

Click here to sign the Online Petition!

Excerpted:

KTRU is a Houston institution. Without it, one of Houston’s most precious independent media sources is gone, and Rice and the city lose a great asset.
…
Don’t let Rice sell KTRU!

Try emailing or calling people in charge to let them know you are unhappy.

• Rice President and Board of Trustees info
• News & Media Relations office at Rice information
• Send an email to Kevin Kirby, David Leebron & John Hutchinson at Kevin.Kirby@rice.edu, president@rice.edu, jshutch@rice.edu
• And contact the giving office, giving@rice.edu or 713-348-4600

When they shut ktru down in 2000, sarah pitre, alexei angelides and ben horne met with administration vp dr. camacho several times. when we met the friday after the shutdown, there was no willingness to budge.

Over the weekend, the administration received 400 letters from alumni who said they were no longer going to donate.

On monday, dr. camacho was willing to negotiate.

This is the best way to have your voice heard.

Loser: Rice students. Though KTRU will still exist in an online format, that the decision and announcement happened entirely without input or recognition of the KTRU staff or student leaders does much to puncture the belief of Rice students that they have a say in university decisions that affect student life — a stark, painful reminder that “student-run” doesn’t mean “student-owned.” The Rice board of trustees has essentially announced that they are unwilling to let students use a valuable asset as they see fit unless they meet a commercial metric of success.

Read the full article at CultureMap.com »

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.

Read the full article at 29-95.com »

Date: August 17, 2010
To: Rice colleagues

I am writing to let you know that we have reached a preliminary agreement with the University of Houston System to purchase Rice’s 50,000-watt radio frequency and broadcast tower for use by Houston’s local public broadcasting station, KUHF. Rice’s station, KTRU, will continue to operate a Web-based radio station at www.ktru.org.

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.

A recent Arbitron report showed that KTRU’s audience was so small that it did not even register in the ratings. Most college radio stations around the country have less than 5,000 watts, and since the late ’90s a number of them have added the online format and moved to online only.

At the same time, KUHF, Houston’s National Public Radio station, was looking for a way to provide both 24-hour all-news and all-classical music programming. Houston is the only major city in the country that lacks these dual services. To fill that gap, the University of Houston System expressed an interest in purchasing Rice’s FM frequency and tower, and we eventually agreed on a price of $9.5 million.

The sale must be approved by the UH Board of Regents at its meeting today, and then by the Federal Communications Commission.

Some of the sale proceeds will go toward the cost of the new East Servery, which will be adjacent to Lovett and Will Rice residential colleges on the south campus. This will both provide one of the most desired improvements to the residential experience in the south colleges, as well as help us achieve the overall capital plan approved by our board of trustees. We also plan to form a committee including students to provide input on other uses of the proceeds, such as for scholarships, improvements to recreational facilities and enhancements to the online station and other student media facilities and programs.

KTRU will continue to serve its campus and external audience with student-managed programming via www.ktru.org. The Internet already brings KTRU to national and global listeners, and there are opportunities for that audience to grow. Will Robedee, the station’s first general manager, will continue in that role.

KUHF plans to use the additional frequency to broadcast 24-hour classical music and fine arts programming on 91.7 FM; 88.7 FM will become its all-news channel. KUHF will raise funds to pay for the acquisition.

We realize that some loyal fans of KTRU may lament these changes, but it is important to remember that KTRU is not going away. Fans can still find KTRU’s unique blend of music and programming online. Meanwhile, a greater number of students can benefit from the improvements in campus facilities and offerings made possible by the sale of the broadcast tower.

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. My management team and I approached those discussions always with the best interests of our students, faculty and alumni and the future of our university as our highest priorities.

For more information about the KTRU plans, see the story and FAQs on rice.edu.

Thank you, as always, for your hard work and dedication.

Warm regards,

David W. Leebron
President, Rice University

According to the Houston Chronicle:

“The University of Houston is planning to buy the radio station operated by students at Rice University for almost 40 years in a $9.5 million deal that would give UH the broadcast tower, FM frequency and license used by Rice’s KTRU.

UH’s governing board will vote Tuesday on whether to give Chancellor Renu Khator authority to complete the deal. Rice spokesman B.J. Almond said its trustees already have given similar authority to administrators there.”

This site is intended to be a clearinghouse for information about this impending tragedy. It is also here to foster calls to action. I believe that many Rice students, alumni, and greater Houston community members will oppose this action by Rice’s Board of Trustees.

Please use this page and this Facebook Page to discuss these events and to gather ideas, with the goal of taking effective action.

“We are totally opposed to the sale,” said Joey Yang, a junior at Rice and program director of the station, which relies upon student and community volunteers for its eclectic music programming. “This is our radio station, and we’d like to keep it.”

Read the full article at Houston Chronicle »