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Last day for KTRU on 91.7

"...ratings....are without question the true measure of success."

I would disagree - ratings (particularly 12+ numbers) are an overly simplistic means of quantification. But that is a larger discussion perhaps best left for another time.

In any case, wasn't one of the reasons that public / non-commercial stations were created in the first place was so that ratings and pressure from advertisers would not be a factor in decisions regarding content, thereby enabling these broadcsters to serve more "noble" purposes, e.g. cultural and educational programming?
 
Out of curiosity, before KTRU being built into 50kw power were they still on the 650w xmtr?
A full-time news station on blowtorch KUHF would be something to look forward to, but still wonder as to whether or not this would have came about if KTRU was still a low-wattage station?
 
fadedglory said:
Out of curiosity, before KTRU being built into 50kw power were they still on the 650w xmtr?
A full-time news station on blowtorch KUHF would be something to look forward to, but still wonder as to whether or not this would have came about if KTRU was still a low-wattage station?
Click to expand...

It seems to me that there is a minimum power requirement for NPR membership and that 650w would not be it. There is no doubt that even with the fact that it misses a good portion of the metro, KTRU's 50kw transmitter made it a target for acquisition. If Rice hadn't sold it to UH, it might've gone to EMF and then we would have a K-Love or Air One station in Houston.
 
FilioScotia said:
The last time I heard, KPFT's ratings were so low they couldn't be measured. Irrespective of the "quality" of KPFT's work, I don't call that success.
Click to expand...

I'm too lazy to pull out the book, but the 6+ numbers that this site publishes shows KPFT getting a 0.4 6+ with a cume around 146,000 people. They're tied in share with KSEV with a slightly larger cume. I guess that tells you what the numbers are for far right and far left radio in this town. :)

KTRU hasn't shown up in the ratings for years, so there won't be any confusing the old format's numbers with the new.

But looking at the grid, the station that surprises me is KSBJ. Imagine what they could do with a stick in Missouri City...
 
FilioScotia said:
Yes NPR is a niche format, but it's a very large niche. That fact isn't generally known because the Houston newspaper doesn't include ratings for non-commercial stations in their periodic reports on local radio/TV ratings.

But if they did, you would be astonished by KUHF's ratings during news hours, especially Morning Edition between 6am and 9am. Music hour ratings are lower, and that's just the way things are today.

KUHF's news ratings are expected to continue at high levels when the station goes all news soon. These high ratings are the reason KUHF consistently reaches or comes very close to its goal of a million dollars in its on-air fund raising every six months.

BTW:For news and music hours, KUHF has demographics commercial stations would kill for.
Click to expand...

The NPR network news shows have the stereotypical boring (safe and focus-group tested) anchors but luckily KUHF has the normal sounding people on the local (and state) news (probably because they grabbed the talent from KTRH's purge--Rod Rice comes to mind). If not for that, KUHF would be unlistenable.

KTRH and KUHF have the same rating--my, how far the once-mighty KTRH has fallen! 5 minute TOH news, weather, and traffic casts don't cut it. At least KUHF is in crystal clear FM stereo compared to the poorly engineered KTRH "whoo" of a directional AM.
 
Memo to Rice University:

You need to turn off the transmitter for K218DA 91.5. Was still on with dead air all day. Apparently nobody noticed or plain forgot.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
Memo to Rice University:

You need to turn off the transmitter for K218DA 91.5. Was still on with dead air all day. Apparently nobody noticed or plain forgot.
Click to expand...

And still doing that at 2am. I wonder why didn't Rice U did not keep
the translator and have it re-classified to a LPFM and keep the old
KTRU programming on it for the benefit of the students and listeners
around the campus?

Old Chicago
 
Mediafrog+ said:
As scheduled, KTRU left the air at 6am this morning. Last thing played was a Jesse Jackson speech from the 1984 Democratic convention, mixed with random noise. Abrupt cutoff of audio, carrier off a minute later.
Click to expand...

Meanwhile, non-comms across the country held "a moment of silence" yesterday at noon CT.
 
OldChicago said:
I wonder why didn't Rice U did not keep the translator and have it re-classified to a LPFM and keep the old KTRU programming on it for the benefit of the students and listeners
around the campus?

Old Chicago
Click to expand...

Good idea, since unlike LPFM's translators can't originate their own programming, but there's no procedure in place to switch from one service to another. Moreover, going to an LPFM would be a downgrade into oblivion, affording them no status at all. Translators are secondary services existing at the whim of the FCC and are subject to being moved around the band or forced to leave the air when interference problems occur or they get in the way of regular stations. LPFM's have it even worse, though, and they're subject to elimination at any moment.

Also note that the only way the KTRU translator ever got approved on a first adjacent channel happened was because they demonstrated the need for a "fill-in translator" on the Rice campus. The idea of Rice keeping it and offering separate programming only one notch away from KUHA would never have been considered.
 
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