Update: Friends of KTRU has filed a petition with the FCC to deny the proposed transfer of KTRU’s 91.7 FM license. You can read the full Petition to Deny here. (The file is in Adobe Acrobat format). KTRU is still on the air, so keep listening!

What’s happening to KTRU?

Rice University is trying to sell KTRU’s transmitter and FCC license for its 91.7 FM frequency (as well as its 91.5 FM translator station) to the University of Houston, which would replace KTRU’s spot on the dial with a 24-hour classical station. We intend to stop the sale.

Why are people so upset?

It would kill one of the last sources of local, independent, diverse programming left on Houston airwaves. Negotiations were made in secret specifically to exclude input from Rice students and alumni. Rice students created KTRU from scratch, built it up over 40 years, and now Rice is trying to sell it out from underneath them.

Is the sale a done deal?

No. The transfer of the FM frequency and license must be approved by the FCC. There are opportunities for public comments and opposition, and we continue working to stop the sale. We are bringing community pressure to bear on Rice and U.H. to challenge the transfer of the license at the FCC. We intend to unravel this deal because it is bad for so many parties:

• Houstonians, who need more diversity and local programming on their radio dial, not less
• Rice students, who lose their last voice on Houston airwaves
• Rice University, which should not be liquidating valuable assets for short-term financial gain.
• KUHF classical music listeners, who would hear their music at half its current power

Doesn’t Rice own the frequency? Can’t they sell if it if they want to?

KTRU was created by Rice students. In 1970, the Rice Board of Governors allowed students to apply for a radio license on condition that “the installation be at no expense to the University; the broadcasting to clearly state that the station is operated by the students of Rice University and reflects their opinions; that it does not represent the official position of the University”. The current 50,000 watt transmitter was donated to Rice along with an endowment to pay for operating costs. There would be no frequency, FCC license, or transmitter to sell if it weren’t for the initiative and energy of Rice students. Whatever Rice’s legal rights are, what it’s doing is just plain wrong.

Why doesn’t KTRU sound like other stations?

Our mission is educational. KTRU’s mission is “to educate the station membership, the greater Houston community, and the students of Rice University through its progressive and eclectic programming in the spirit of the station’s non-commercial, educational license”. Our job is to expose listeners to music and information they can’t find on other radio stations.

The greater Houston community and the music world lose out if this deal goes through. Houston radio listeners would have less choice, less diversity, and less commitment to local and diverse artists. Artists, record labels, and clubs would no longer have an avenue to promote their work in the U.S.’s 4th largest city.

Isn’t internet webcasting enough?

No. It is our transmitter that connects us to Houston. Our ability to broadcast is what brings in the music we share with the greater Houston community. Without the FM frequency, bands wouldn’t visit the station to play in the studio, and record companies wouldn’t send us their new releases.

On the internet, people have to already know about KTRU to listen. But on the radio, people can discover KTRU as they navigate the dial. An internet-only station can’t reach an audience as diverse as an on-air station. Plus, any argument about the internet being enough applies just as well to the classical music station UH is planning to replace KTRU with.

How can I help?

Glad you asked! There are lots of things you can do.