I was a DJ at KTRU from 1996-1999. I remember my first shift was at 4am to 7 am, and that I got a phone call from workers on an oil rig miles offshore thanking me for a song one lonely morning. I remember seeing bands come visit the studio for interviews and drool over the music collection accumulated over the years. I remember the sense of purpose everyone that volunteered at the station felt, and the hours they would give to keep the station broadcasting.

KTRU was such a vital part of my time at Rice, and it made me happy in the years since I graduated to know that current students shared some of the same experiences I had. I am so hurt and saddened that the administration of Rice never remotely appreciated what a unique and valuable resource they had. Whatever they purchase with the $9.5 million they get from selling the station, it will never be worth the unique portion of the Rice experience that they destroy, the link to the Houston community they lose, or the loyalty of the alumni they have betrayed.

-Elio Abbondanzieri
Hanszen, ’99