Unique character, programming of KTRU merit support for blanket tax

By Carina Baskett     2/18/10 6:00pm

We Owls, with our college system and quirky traditions such as Beer Bike, Night of Decadence and Baker 13, take pride in a campus experience that puts the average university to shame. For over 40 years, KTRU has served as an integral part of that tradition. In 1967, a few Hanszenites transmitted a two-watt signal through the buzzer system of the college, dubbing it KHCR (Hanszen College Radio). Now KTRU (the "TRU" is "The Rice University") broadcasts a 50,000-watt signal at 91.7 FM that is heard all over Houston.

Throughout the years, despite many transitions in leadership, format and wattage, KTRU has remained student-run and true to its mission to provide progressive and educational programming and events, both on campus and on air. Twice voted "Houston's Best Radio Station" by the Houston Press, KTRU boosts Rice's reputation in the Houston community through special programming, including broadcasts of concerts from the Shepherd School of Music as well as coverage of Rice baseball and women's basketball games.

This type of free, accessible programming is not new to our mission. Though many students may bemoan Rice's lack of live acts, KTRU puts on several free concerts throughout the year, usually outside Valhalla or in the Ray Courtyard of the Rice Memorial Center. In addition, the station also hosts the KTRU Outdoor Show, an all-day concert that began in 1992 and has recently featured acts such as Ted Leo and RATATAT. KTRU also coordinates Rice's annual Battle of the Bands, which begins tonight at 7 p.m. in the Lovett Underground.

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Even non-regular KTRU listeners will have noticed an increase in our campus presence this year. In addition to the regular broadcasts of live Shepherd School concerts, which began last semester, we've also provided DJs and equipment to all of the student-run Matchbox Gallery openings, and even the most recent Rice Gallery opening, free of charge.

Looking beyond our campus services, the station has garnered a dedicated following throughout Houston for its unconventional approach to music. In fact, KTRU is not only unique in Houston - it's unique among college radio stations.

We play music that is difficult or impossible to find anywhere else. Underground Houston bands, experimental hip-hop, traditional Americana music, old-fashioned Delta blues, frenzied improvised jazz, poetry and sounds that defy categorization - we play them all. We value music for its artistic and intellectual merit rather than for its mass entertainment value, and we're one of the few stations left that takes such an approach. Even if not all the music we play appeals to you, we invite you to support our dedication to broadcasting these diverse, underexposed genres and styles.

Because of the wide variety of genres and artists in our collection, KTRU constantly challenges its listeners and DJs to expand their musical horizons; in turn, our listeners are always discovering amazing new artists, music and sounds. Most calls to the station are variations of "What was that?! It was incredible!" And if you find our eclectic, genre-jumping format too jarring, you might be surprised to learn that we boast plenty of excellent single-genre shows - check our programming schedule at www.ktru.org for weekly programs like hip-hop, blues and spoken word (all named "Best in Houston"), plus electronic, dance, sixties, punk, reggae and world music.

The blanket tax increase KTRU is proposing would increase your yearly fees by a mere $2 (from $5.50 to $7.50), but this would mean an incredible amount to the station. We have not received a blanket tax increase in more than 20 years, so our operating costs have slowly but steadily risen beyond what our blanket tax funding provides. This is not only due to inflation, but also because the cost of technology and performances has risen exponentially.

Due to inflation, we have lost 45 percent of our purchasing power over the past 20 years. We also face technology expenses that did not exist or were beyond our means in the 1980s: webcasting and licensing fees, remote broadcast equipment for events like the Shepherd School concerts and numerous in-studio performances and interviews. In addition, the music industry has changed: Bands must now earn most of their profits through touring rather than album sales, so it is increasingly difficult for KTRU to maintain the high quality of the free, all-day Outdoor Show lineup.

In recent years, we have explored alternative methods of raising money, turning to donations from local businesses for much-needed supplements to our blanket tax funds. However, with the recession this source of funding has completely dried up, and we find ourselves in the position of asking the student body for its support.

Our aim is to continue broadcasting underexposed music and maintaining our tradition of free, high-quality, unique programming on the Rice campus. We urge students to vote in this year's Student Association general election and to support KTRU's first blanket tax increase in more than 20 years. For the events that we provide for Rice students, for our 40-year legacy as a student-run university institution and for a musical open-mindedness unmatched among college radio stations, we are asking you to take pride in Rice Radio.

Carina Baskett is a Martel College senior and a KTRU DJ director and news director.

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