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KUT License Challenge?

U

uncamark

It's still over 2 1/2 years before Texas radio licenses run out, but a lawyer with telecom experience (on the common carrier side, not the broadcast side) has told the Save KUT offshoot blog Keeping Public Radio Public that he intends to gather research on filing a challenge to the license of UT-owned NPR affil KUT--tied for NUMBER ONE in the November PPMs--over alleged recent changes in music programming (which is why Save KUT was formed in the first place) and alleged "overcommercialism," all of which is music to the windowpane gang at KPRP's ears:

http://keeppublicradiopublic.com/2010/12/05/kut-license-challenge/

Of course, the FCC washed its hands of programming changes ages ago (unless they deny the KTRU/KUHF sale in Houston, which is highly unlikely) and its rules on underwriting announcements don't cover minutes per hour or method of delivery (almost all funders are read by the hog-calling voice of PD Hawk Mendenhall)--the only grounds they would have would be if the spots broke the established rules of no comparisons/no prices/no call to action (with the exception of established slogans, which the lawyer and the windowpane gang may not know about). But do any of you think they have a prayer of taking the license from UT?

However, if I were KUT's continuity people, I'd be watching the funder copy like a hawk (no pun intended).
 
Hey Mark- can you provide a synopsis of what their beef is against KUT? I'm not that familiar with the Austin market, nor do I know what you would call KUT's format exactly, but what's the problem the locals have?

From what little I can glean from the link you provided, 3 DJs were let go, and now there are playlists in rotation where previously there were not, and there were allegations of "commercials" being aired? There were also some music changes too? For those of us outside weird-town, what's the story?

Do they have a prayer of taking the license from UT? I'd say no. What complaint could they file with the FCC that would have enough teeth to prevent license renewal? The FCC doesn't care about programming, and the station appears to be doing well financially and ratings-wise.

Is there another commercial station in town with a similar format? I'd always assumed KUT had the Austin music scene covered in much the same way the local PBS affiliate brought it international fame with Austin City Limits...
 
DG said:
Hey Mark- can you provide a synopsis of what their beef is against KUT? I'm not that familiar with the Austin market, nor do I know what you would call KUT's format exactly, but what's the problem the locals have?

From what little I can glean from the link you provided, 3 DJs were let go, and now there are playlists in rotation where previously there were not, and there were allegations of "commercials" being aired? There were also some music changes too? For those of us outside weird-town, what's the story?
Click to expand...

As I understand it, KUT's always been like Pacifica in that there's always been internal strife. The strife became external in 2009 when two DJs who'd been doing evening shifts for 20-30 years in what was basically old-school free form (with some specialty shows) were cut back in hours and lost health insurance. At the same time, a new younger guy was brought in as MD, David Brown, the former host of "Marketplace," came in and started doing a music show (and along with his wife was allegedly paid a lot), "World Cafe" and another national music show were picked up to run in late-night and the remaining DJs, including the midday guy who used to segue from classical to rock frequently was told to be less free form. Supposedly, they were all given a list of approved cuts from approved *current* albums to play intsead of a Selector playlist, so they could still pick music. Some of the longtime listeners think that the approved cuts playlist sounds a lot like commercial AAA KGSR's playlist. And another local show was dropped and replaced with "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!"

The KPPR/Save KUT group has also complained about the hiring of a local news staff allegedly from CPB money for what for now is just cut-ins on the NPR drive time shows. They've also objected to the HD-2 and -3 channels, taking the "HD Radio is a farce" viewpoint of a certain blogger and HD hater who has been thrown off the R-I boards and other radio boards for his aggressive positions. And the claims of "commercialism" are the result of music audiences noticing funders and being more hostile to them than the news-talk audience. Add to that a controversy over KUT taking over management of a legendary bar and music club on the UT campus and accusations that the station spends too much money on salaries and underwiting account executives and throw in the hostilities between the longtime Austin residents and newer, seemingly yuppier arrivals to the area (who would probably KUT to become more news-talk like most NPR stations) and you have the atmosphere for someone to make a license challenge.

Corrections and clarifications welcome. :) Doing some digging in the Austin Chronicle's web site archives will give you a little more background.
 
I did a little more digging and learned a bit more, but I think you summed it up well.

As an outsider looking in, it appears to me that the unhappiness with KUT and the activism to do something about it is well within the normal weirdness for Austin.

Austinites can be very vocal about their causes, but it doesn't appear to me that the Save KUT folks are the majority view of how KUT is doing things.

I guess my question for the unhappy Austinites is, what could they petition the FCC about that would have a hope of them getting the change they seek at KUT?
 
I guess my question for the unhappy Austinites is, what could they petition the FCC about that would have a hope of them getting the change they seek at KUT?
Click to expand...

They could try a petition based on programming that doesn't serve the community...but it would definitely fail. It might "send a message" but that's it.

They could try finding something obscure that KUT has screwed up, like the public file or EAS or something like that. This is more likely to succeed IF they actually find something - which is neither guaranteed nor even all that likely.

They could try a challenge based on "donor intent", but there usually has to be a pretty specific set of circumstances for this to have even the slightest hope of success...and I'm pretty sure KUT's situation doesn't meet them. The whole "Save WCAL" vs. St Olaf College and Minnesota Public Radio dragged "donor intent" into the limelight and has vaguely set a precedent that raises the bar even higher for challengers, even though it also clarified some things that were vague.
 
I don't know where Mark Bryant gets this idea that public broadcasting's "mandate" is to serve unserved and underserved communities. Who made this mandate? The FCC? Congress? Or Mark Bryant?

Programming decisions are made locally, not by some mandate. If the local station wants to duplicate commercial radio, and they can get public support, then that's what they do. Lots of public stations, in markets like San Francisco, DC, and Boston, are getting great ratings by duplicating the formats of commercial stations. In some cases they're winning. But the FCC isn't going to get involved in a local programming matter. Period. Even if they're breaking a law, the worst that will happen is a fine.
 
Duplicating the formats of commercial stations?

Since when?
 
JimmyJames said:
Duplicating the formats of commercial stations?

Since when?
Click to expand...

WAMU, WBUR, and KQED are basically following the commercial news/talk model, which is already available in their respective markets. But they're doing it in a typical public radio way, which is with more detail and at a slower pace. Still, if you just want headlines, they're already available.
 
KUT 'Challenge' Slamming the WRONG GUY

FIRST TIME POST
A 'challenge' to KUT's license, in a couple of years, is not going to cause UT to lose their license, folks! There is no possibility of that. One of the wealthiest, most powerful, and license holder of one of the most popular NPR affiliates in the nation, will not, safe bet!, lose their license because of a few, even a few hundred, comments about how shabbily they treated a couple of DJs. It IS a good time to get stuff posted to the FCC on the record.

But slamming the guy who started another non-comm station in town, and repeating 10-15 year old rumors, then bad-mouthing him, is not helpful. You are not even talking about the right guy! He is well known and well respected in the community radio world, including doing a radio assignment in post-earthquake HAITI this year. To tell him, anonymously, to "move on" is not helpful. He moved on YEARS ago, stupid. He doesn't even LIVE in Austin anymore. Any you have to drag his name through the mud...why? I follow his travel stuff. Please try not to be stupid and hurtful of someone you don't know...or even know anything about apparently.

BTW...how is doing nothing, not even being involved in a local issue, make someone "childish?"

Disappointed at the low tenor of this discussion.
Thanks for reading this tho...
Pat A
 
This is incredibly stupid. Why would someone with a grudge against one station want to want to take it out on another station?

Are you so stupid as to think it would be easy to become a manager of one of the biggest NPR affiliates in the nation? How old are you?
UT is very happy with their managers! They are bringing in record amounts of money! You don't have any information available to you
newer than 10-15 year old rumors? Please don't slam folks who have worked for years to improve radio...

YOU ARE NOT EVEN TALKING ABOUT THE RIGHT GUY.

BTW- Democracy Now! is ALREADY available in Austin. I listened to it today.

This is the most stupid thing I have seen anyone post about radio in years. Please apologize and educate yourself. Please.

Folks! Please don't encourage this sort of stupidity.

One of the Save KUT/Keeping Public Radio Public people is the founder of KOOP, who got canned some years ago in a Pacifica-ish intercine war (his opponents got rid of him by what I will admit is the dubious reason of not doing a legal ID--*one* legal ID). Needless to say, he has a grudge against KOOP and I assume sees gaining control of KUT as his revenge. (I assume that if new owners made up of a citizens group took over, he would be GM by reason of experience--the other major SKUT/KPRP people have no radio experience.) He could shut down the HD signals, fire account execs, rehire Larry Monroe, give Paul Ray his old shows back, bring in volunteer DJs instead of paid DJs and drop some of the national programming (and maybe pick up "Democracy Now!"), but I couldn't see him getting rid of the NPR drive time news shows, Terry Gross, "Car Talk," Ira Glass, Garrison Kellior or even "Wait, Wait" or "Marketplace."

The other thing that has driven this movement all along was the cutting in hours of two Legendary Austin Radio Personalities (in their view) and the "creative stifling" of another Legendary Austin Radio Personality, all symbols of the good old days of anti-war protests (cue the "Austin City Limits" theme), Armadllo World Headquarters and an Austin that didn't have yuppie scums that can't get enough of David Dye--an Austin that thy want KUT to stand for forever. At least that's their opinion.
 
My apologies for any incorrect conjectures in the posts. They were not meant to be derogatory and if I got people mixed up, I am sorry.
 
M
Will pass it along to whatshisname, tho' talk about outta' pocket.
Last heard from in frgn Urguay whereever that is.
happy holiday
 
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