[IRCA] Houston FM News - KUHF 88.7 FM Plans to Purchase Rice University FM Station KTRU 91.7 FM

["Stephen H. Ponder" <stephen_ponder@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Heard this on KUHF's "All Things Considered" on the way home from work this
afternoon ?

	UH board considers plan to buy Rice radio station
	School would be first in Texas with 2 channels
	http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7156105.html 

	By JEANNIE KEVER, HOUSTON CHRONICLE

	Aug. 17, 2010, 1:39PM

	The University of Houston board today approved the purchase of the
radio station operated by students at Rice University for almost 40 years in
a $9.5 million deal that would give UH the broadcast tower, FM frequency and
license used by Rice's KTRU.

	UH's regents voted 5-3 in favor of authorizing Chancellor Renu
Khator authority to complete the deal. Rice spokesman B.J. Almond said its
trustees already have given similar authority to administrators there.

	UH currently operates one public radio station, KUHF, which offers
both news and classical music and other arts programming.

	If the deal goes through, the university would have two stations,
one to provide news 24 hours a day and the second to offer classical music
and arts coverage, according to a fact sheet prepared by the school to
explain the plan.

	KUHF would be converted to a 24-hour news and information format,
heard at the station's current frequency, 88.7 FM.

	The new station, to be known by call letters KUHC, would broadcast
classical music and arts on the 91.7 FM frequency used by KTRU.

	Both stations will be affiliates of National Public Radio, as KUHF
currently is, UH spokesman Richard Bonnin said Monday.

	They will share one staff and be run out of offices on the UH
campus.

	KTRU, which offers an eclectic mix of music along with broadcasts of
some Rice athletics, would remain available through its website, ktru.org
<http://www.ktru.org> .

	No timeline for the transition was available Monday.

	More power than needed

	In response to a question from the Chronicle, Rice released a
statement Monday saying it decided to sell the tower, license and broadcast
frequency because the 50,000-watt station is far more powerful than needed
to reach its audience, which it said is too small to be measured by the
radio research firm Arbitron.

	The money will be used for campus improvements, including a new food
service venture. A student committee will help determine how to use the rest
of the money.

	Classes at Rice begin next Monday, and students are returning to
campus this week.

	On its website, KTRU describes itself as "a free-form, eclectic
radio station that thinks it's a bad thing to play the same song twice in a
span of an hour."

	But much of the programming is automated, not live.

	Audience of 800,000?

	UH officials said KUHF will raise the $9.5 million purchase price
through private fundraising and increased underwriting and that no state or
tuition funds will be used.

	Bonnin said predictions call for the two stations to have an
audience of 800,000 within a few years, more than double KUHF's current
audience of 380,000.

	Several other universities operate two public radio stations,
including Purdue University, Florida State University, Ohio State University
and the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

	UH would be the first in Texas to do so.

	Khator described the plan as helping to fulfill the university's
responsibility to the city by promoting both its arts community and
expanding access to news and information.

	"The acquisition of a second public radio station delivers on our
promise to keep the University of Houston at the forefront of creating
strong cultural, educational and artistic opportunities,? the UH chancellor
said in a statement.

	Bonnin said that no one at KUHF was available Monday to talk about
the move. But he provided a statement that said the station will increase
Houston-centered content on key topics and will sponsor and broadcast
town-hall forums on issues of community concern.

	KUHC Classical will offer more in-studio live performances, live
remote broadcasts and full-length concert broadcasts of local performers
than KUHF currently offers, according to the plans.

	jeannie.kever@xxxxxxxxx  

So, KUHF 88.7 FM already has 3 HD channels - Classical Music, News (NPR,
BBC, and Deutsche Welle), and Radio Netherlands Spanish.  They are not
strictly limited to distinct HD channels - for example, during AM/PM drive
times, News may be on HD-1 and Classical may be on HD-2.  At other times of
the day, Classical is on HD-1 and News is on HD-2.

What impact will the purchase of KTRU's facilities have, other than giving
KUHF a dedicated 24/7 Classical Music outlet, leaving KUHF for News
Programming.  Will they drop their HD channels?

Personally, I'd love to see them add more English-language news programming
on their HD channels - like CBC Radio, Radio Australia, and Radio Japan.

73 and Great DX,

Steve Ponder N5WBI
Houston TX
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