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FCC Asked to Block Sale of KTRU to KUHF

Challenges based on format issues tend to be ignored.

This is mainly an issue between the students and the University. The University owns the license and has made their decision. The FCC is not going to force the licensee to retain a station it wants to sell for programming reasons. Moving classical to a weaker signal hasn't been an issue in several other license transfers, including WQXR New York and WCRB Boston. Lots of other colleges and universities are doing the exact same thing around the country. Student and listener groups have protested, and the transfers have been approved. The days of university-supported radio for small fringe formats is over. Unless the supporters can come up with a similar offer that would preserve the format, the transfer will be approved.
 
I read that in the paper this morning. Sounds like a bunch of crybaby kids just had one of their toys taken away from them. And that's about all it was to them. If you ever listened to it, it was nothing but over-modulated kookie music and wierd middle-eastern crap. Sometimes it was dead slience or white noise. If they had programmed it like KACC, with something more people would actually listen to, they might have stood a better chance of keeping it. In the hands of spaced-out children, it definitely isn't an assest worth keeping for Rice.
 
mrbeasley said:
I read that in the paper this morning. Sounds like a bunch of crybaby kids just had one of their toys taken away from them. And that's about all it was to them. If you ever listened to it, it was nothing but over-modulated kookie music and wierd middle-eastern crap. Sometimes it was dead slience or white noise. If they had programmed it like KACC, with something more people would actually listen to, they might have stood a better chance of keeping it. In the hands of spaced-out children, it definitely isn't an assest worth keeping for Rice.
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Well put! You're spot on. As another poster has said, if they students want their own "free form" radio so badly, let them pay the money for it. Surely there are some rich Rice alumni that have the $$$. But I see no one stepping up to the table. I think the best place for the KTRU format to live is on the internet, where they can do whatever they want, without any worries from the FCC or university administration. And KACC is a fine example..it appeals to a much broader audience, and is worthwhile to listen to (when you can pick it up).
 
Why the FCC WILL Block Sale of KTRU to KUHF

I predict the FCC will vote to deny KUHF's application for the KTRU license, and it won't have a single thing to do with the complaints and allegations from KTRU supporters. It will be completely political. Here's why.

Most members of public university boards of regents in Texas are conservative Republicans appointed by Rick Perry, who is at or near the top of President Obama's persona non grata list. They dislike Perry almost as much as they dislike Sarah Palin, especially in view of speculation that Perry will make a run for the Presidential nomination in 2012.

Three of the five seats on the FCC are occupied by Obama appointees. To the White House, and a majority on the FCC, staid, conservative old KUHF and its UH regent owners -- all appointed by Rick Perry -- are the living personification of everything the Obama administration dislikes about Texas. KTRU, on the other hand, is run by a crowd of students who're all unabashed Obama true believers.

Remembering that Republicans and Democrats are equally guilty of using the FCC to further their political agendas, is anyone here willing to predict how at least three members of the FCC will vote on the KTRU deal?

I would give anything to be wrong, but I've paid much too much attention to Washington politics over the past few years, and I've learned that you can't be too cynical about federal agencies run by White House appointees. Only rarely are their decisions based on the actual merits of the cases they consider, which is why I think the KTRU deal is as good as dead.

They'll cite every high flown reason you can think of for rejecting KUHF's application, but anti Rick Perry politics will be the real reason. I hope KUHF and UH have a Plan B.
 
Re: Why the FCC WILL Block Sale of KTRU to KUHF

FilioScotia said:
Three of the five seats on the FCC are occupied by Obama appointees. To the White House, and a majority on the FCC, staid, conservative old KUHF and its UH regent owners -- all appointed by Rick Perry -- are the living personification of everything the Obama administration dislikes about Texas. KTRU, on the other hand, is run by a crowd of students who're all unabashed Obama true believers.
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First of all, the REAL decision to approve or not, isn't made by the commissioners, but non-political civil servants.

Second of all, you ignore the fact that Rice students are the children of rich Republican parents. So if politics was the deciding factor, it's a level playing field.

The third thing is WUHF is an NPR station. You know how liberals love NPR.

But the fact is that in all my years of following license transfers, I have never seen a single decision made for political reasons. It's a simple business transaction. Willing buyer, willing seller. If the buyer is qualified, they get approved. KUHF is a responsible buyer. They will get the station. All five members will vote for the transfer.
 
Don't bet the ranch on that. If this were a typical license transfer application, I might agree with you. But it's not typical.

I know. I'm too cynical. That's what watching Washington politics does to you.
 
FilioScotia said:
Don't bet the ranch on that. If this were a typical license transfer application, I might agree with you. But it's not typical.
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It's a typical transfer, and the group's challenge was poorly written and without merit. Plus the students have a history of fighting with the University. The UNIVERSITY is the licensee, not the students. And the students haven't run the station in a responsible way. I'd say based on all I've said, this deal is done.
 
The KTRU sale is a done deal.

Rice University owns the station, not the students. The inmates aren't running the asylum here.

Last I checked you cannot force someone to continue owning something they want to sell.

The only thing that trips up station transfers is if the proposed new owner is somehow found deficient, either legally, ethically, financially, or doesn't meet any of the usual guidelines for station ownership. The University of Houston has owned KUHF for 60 years, so there is no question of their qualifications for running a radio station.

And look at the scenarios here: With the 91.7 sale to U of H, Houston gains (1) a fulltime public news/information/current affairs/spoken word outlet, which the city has never had; and (2) a fulltime Classical/Fine Arts station, which the city currently lacks. The alternative is the current situation, where much Public Radio programming doesn't see the light of day, and a parttime Classical station. Not to mention the current KTRU situation of a station that plays obscure/fringe music.

Looked at the ratings? KUHF does quite well. KTRU doesn't even show up. The current 91.7 audience is a microscopic group that somehow feels it is "entitled" to a radio station. I think it is safe to say that the vast majority of Rice students couldn't care less about KTRU. My sons, when they were high school and college aged, dismissed KTRU as "bizzare" and "crap."

And one more thing: While the protesters have their lawyers, so do Rice and U of H. And the colleges' lawyers are probably much smarter and much better paid than whoever the protesters have hired.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
I think it is safe to say that the vast majority of Rice students couldn't care less about KTRU.
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This is the biggest problem, and why student-run college radio is in trouble. These stations are financed by the student activity fee. Administrators are under pressure to keep those fees down in the light of rising tuition. A radio station is a very expensive toy that only a small percentage of students get to play with. The fact that this station hasn't played nice with the university, and run more diverse programming that more students would prefer is the reason why the school is getting rid of the station. They can still accomplish any educational mission by allowing broadcasting students to be paid interns of KUHF.

To all other student run radio stations, I say this: Look very carefully at what you're doing. Consider that your station represents the university to the public. What you say and do is very important. Involve the school in programming. And find a way to be more inclusive of other students, rather than drawing on non-students, for your programming.
 
You can trot out all the logical reasons in the world why this license transfer should be granted in a heartbeat, but I say none of them will matter when three FCC members appointed by Obama get a chance to slap Rick Perry through his appointed UH Board of Regents.

White House politics will drive this FCC vote. It won't upset me to be wrong about this, but I don't expect to be wrong.

It's always better to be a pessimist than an optimist. Pessimists are never surprised and they're prepared when things turn to crap.
 
FilioScotia said:
You can trot out all the logical reasons in the world why this license transfer should be granted in a heartbeat, but I say none of them will matter when three FCC members appointed by Obama get a chance to slap Rick Perry through his appointed UH Board of Regents.

White House politics will drive this FCC vote. It won't upset me to be wrong about this, but I don't expect to be wrong.
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I cannot remember the last time a license transfer has been denied. (I've been monitoring these things for decades) It has happened, but not in a long time.

If the Obama administration wanted to stick it to a broadcaster for political reasons, there have been a LOT of transfers of stations carrying Rush/Hannity/etc. or affiliated with Fox. None of them have been stalled.

IMHO it is more likely that Newt Gingrich will join the Communist Party than that this transfer will be denied.
 
How do you explain all the transfers approved by Clinton's FCC for Bush buddy Lowery Mays?

Well, Lowry Mays may have been a "Bush buddy", a friend of George HW Bush, but he was first and foremost a businessman who was focused only on expanding his broadcasting empire. Mays wasn't a constant critic of Bill Clinton, nor was he a potential Presidential candidate building his campaign around bringing the President down the way Rick Perry is doing.

I cannot remember the last time a license transfer has been denied. (I've been monitoring these things for decades) It has happened, but not in a long time.

I wish I could feel as certain about that as you, but I just can't. I guess we'll find out who's right a few months from now.
 
w9wi said:
IMHO it is more likely that Newt Gingrich will join the Communist Party than that this transfer will be denied.
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Agreed, wholeheartedly.

The FCC has been inconsistent and politically-driven on a lot of things, but license transfers aren't one of them, especially when the issue being raised is one of format and programming. Ever since the WNCN case (and now we're talking 1974-75), the Commission has taken a very firm, unvarying position that it will not get involved in disputes over a station's program format. There's an unbroken line of citations stretching back 30+ years now of objections to license transfers based (as is the instant case) on the programming being lost. Every single one of them has been denied.

I have no reason, based on the claims the "Save KTRU" group is offering, to believe this will be handled any differently.
 
FilioScotia said:
You can trot out all the logical reasons in the world why this license transfer should be granted in a heartbeat, but I say none of them will matter when three FCC members appointed by Obama get a chance to slap Rick Perry through his appointed UH Board of Regents.

White House politics will drive this FCC vote. It won't upset me to be wrong about this, but I don't expect to be wrong.

It's always better to be a pessimist than an optimist. Pessimists are never surprised and they're prepared when things turn to crap.
Click to expand...

Except the commissioners don't vote to approve these things. And if you were to declare the State of Texas unfit to be a licensee, then every state university radio and TV station could lose its license. There's easier ways to score political points.

Meanwhile, here's a recent example of what happens when politicians try to step in to "save" a station from being sold. Hint: the FCC approves it anyway.
http://www.rbr.com/radio/21687.html
 
Hey guys. Please don't misunderstand me. I think the FCC should approve the license transfer to the U of H, for all the reasons you guys are making clear. It should be a routine decision that shouldn't take more than a few minutes of the Commission's time.

That's what should happen in a perfect world. Unfortunately, my incurable cynicism reminds me it's not a perfect world and we shouldn't be surprised when politics raises its ugly head and kills the deal.
 
The sale will make the long-neglected news (and begrugingly "/talk") format available in Houston. Granted, it's not the traditional all-news radio (CBS Radio's WCBS, KNX, WBBM, KCBS, etc.), but it's better than nothing. Also, the centrist alternative to commercial right-wing shows will finally be widely heard in Houston for the first time.

Dumping classical to a lower-powered station will actually provide a service to Houston that the commercial broadcasters have neglected to provide!
 
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