I’ve been thinking about it, and I would have to say that if Rice had not had KTRU, I probably would have transferred. I came to Houston from Washington, DC, and while Rice is a fabulous place in many ways (I often argue, for example, that the architecture school is the best in the nation), the within-the-hedges monoculture of student life was pretty depressing. I spent my high school years assuming political and cultural engagement were the norm and was a little deflated to find that was not the case everywhere. But during O Week I discovered KTRU and its inhabitants and realized that there was an organization on campus that housed a band of unconventional, culturally-curious people. The average Rice student was trying to fight their way through organic chemistry (and drink their way through college nights—not that that wasn’t fun), not reach out to the greater cultural and political world, and KTRU was one of the only venues on campus where that reaching out was possible.

To me the best parts of Rice were the moments of entrepreneurialism. Taking a straightforward opportunity and turning it in to something incredible. That could apply to anything: an engineering project, a ridiculously clever college night costume, an architecture studio that actually designs and builds a low-income project, starting a coffee house whose profits would benefit causes, etc). KTRU abounded in entrepreneurialism. Firstly, just fielding all of the cd’s and promotional material that flowed in to the office from music labels around the country exposed us to the creativity that is independent music. We interacted with start-up music labels all over the world and then in turn were inspired to start our own bands and labels. I am finding myself right now developing my own very successful printing business, and it all started at KTRU, hand-printing T-shirts and cd covers for our friend’s bands.

KTRU is often about discovering and fostering new music, but while dj’ing at the station I became exposed to and obsessed with traditional music, such as bluegrass, klezmer, blues and zydeco. I became an expert in Western Swing and to this day regularly enjoy the collection of vintage albums I amassed while at Rice. My interest in this music, in turn, got me out into Houston and Texas, discovering traditional music venues in neighborhoods and cities not usually populated by Rice students and graduates. The cultural map of Houston became another obsession of mine, an interest I would carry in to my architectural graduate studies at UC Berkeley, returning again and again to Houston as a subject and a reference. Music served as my passport to the city and state, so I thank KTRU for that exposure.

At some point in my KTRU tenure I had the position of PSA director, not the sexiest job!, but I had a fantastic time getting out into Houston, looking for organizations either benevolent or idiosyncratic, to promote on the KTRU airwaves, and remember it clearly as one of my first moments of considering myself a citizen of Houston.

It was only when I moved to California that it became apparent how much KTRU and Houston had given me. KTRU had just created & hosted a jazz festival at the Shepherd School (in 1995, an impressive gathering of alternative jazz musicians from around the country) and when I landed in the SF bay area, I was already in the thick of their vibrant and groundbreaking music scene, thanks to my involvement at KTRU. Rice radio was participating & supporting the national dialogue of independent music, which only became clear once I had moved away.

I’ve given the sale of KTRU a lot of thought in the last couple days, and it is indisputable that the covert nature of the sale itself was underhanded and wrong. This action alone is enough to keep me from donating to Rice or recommending it to possible students. But I’ve also tried to maintain an open mind about the possibility of internet radio and quizzed numerous people about the viability of KTRU online. And it has become apparent that selling the signal will, in essence, kill KTRU. KTRU will not be able to participate in the CMJ reporting, and will lose its flow of music from labels worldwide. It will lose its place in the national dialogue, its vibrancy in the city, and to be honest, what student is going to want to get up at 4 am to do an internet radio show? KTRU will dwindle, no two ways about it. To state that “KTRU is not going away” is both patronizing and false. I can only hope that Rice comes to its senses and cancels the sale.

thanks
Elinor Nissley
WRC ‘93