Rice students: KTRU not for sale
By Luke Jones
Posted: Wednesday, August 18, 2010, 2:56 PM GMT
Nowhere else on the dial can members of one community get the unique blend of programming they get on one radio station. But now this beloved student-run station is in jeopardy, and students are fighting to save it.
For almost 40 years, students at Houston's Rice University have played music, hosted shows, and aired school sports events over the airwaves of 91.7 FM KTRU. But Tuesday, school officials announced plans to sell the station to the University of Houston for $9.5 million. Students say it's not for sale.
"KTRU does not anticipate to be sold to the University of Houston for any sum of money," a student leader said Tuesday night at a meeting held by students DJs.
Tuesday, the UH Board of Regents approved the purchase of KTRU, which it plans to convert into a classical music station under different call letters. KTRU's mostly-volunteer staff and station managers didn't learn about the proposal until Monday night.
"It's just shock. It's kind of like, you know, just having your world flipped upside down," said student DJ Ian Wells, 26. "Hearing about something like this in the newspaper, it's really, you know, it's just terrible."
DJ Ann Morgan, 34, says she's still trying to wrap her head around the ordeal.
"Honestly, I feel numb. Most of us didn't find out until last night, and we really didn't get much information, so we really just feel lost and numb," she said.
Rice officials say KTRU's ratings have declined in recent years and that the station is an underutilized resource. But Rice students say it's anything but that.
"It exposed me to a huge amount of interesting music, it sort of opened my eyes in terms of what different types of music from different genres can--what they can bring," said Aaron Varnell, 22, a Rice student and former KTRU DJ.
"A lot of bands--underexposed bands have been, you know, even put in the spotlight because of KTRU and it's kind of, I guess, disappointing to see KTRU sold," said Lily Ito, 20.
Law student Evan Mintz, 24, completed his first four years of school at Rice, during which time he worked in KTRU's news department. He says KTRU represents something unique, and no amount of money can make up for that.
"Artists around town knew that if you wanted to get your word out you went to KTRU and it was so weird to have this, you know, engineering school better known for its nanotech than its art programs to be the hippest place in the city. But a lot of (the) time it was and they're selling that away and that is PR that you can't get back," he said.
Volunteer DJs, Rice students, and concerned listeners are working to keep KTRU on the air and in the hands of students. They hope the university will rethink its decision, and are looking into possible legal action. Even Rice alumni are outraged by the decision.
"There's a silent majority of alumni out there who are gonna respond to this very negatively," said Rice alum John Binz Baker. "Mess with the football team, mess with the basketball team, even mess with the baseball team. Alumni won't really care about that. But mess with KTRU, now you're getting personal because a lot of alumni are still in the Houston area, still listen, still enjoy."
If KTRU is sold, Rice officials say students will continue to broadcast online at ktru.org. But KTRU managers say students will settle for nothing less than the abandonment of KTRU's sale.
"That the administration would do this and then speak on behalf of KTRU, stating without consulting with us that we would continue to operate as an online broadcast station only is entirely unacceptable and belittling towards our status as members of this community," said KTRU Program Director Joey Yang.
College stations across the country are disappearing, and KTRU may become the latest casualty of a growing trend.
"I don't think students at Rice will ever have access to that frequency again," said Wells. "I really think, like, college students in Houston have lost something they're not gonna regain."
But KTRU fans and volunteers are hoping KTRU will remain on the airwaves, and remain true to its mission.
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