Friday at Amoeba SF: WFMU broadcasts KUSF, Many Stations Join In

Feb.18th: WFMU's Billy Jam takes his show live to Amoeba Records on 1855 Haight Street in San Francisco from 3-6PM ET to host live DJ sets by KUSF 90.3 FM DJs! The sets are a chance to hear KUSF DJs play after the announced sale of the station's broadcast license on Jan. 18. KUSF's Irwin (Sleeves on Hearts), Carolyn, Stereo Steve, Jantine B., Harry D. (In The Soul Kitchen), and DJ Schmeejay (Radiodrome) are scheduled to spin records from 12 noon-3 p.m. Pacific Time. WFMU has set up a network to broadcast the sets on stations around the country. Announced stations include KZSU (Stanford, 90.1 FM), KFJC (Foothill College, 89.7 FM), KXLU (Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, 88.9 FM), WXYC (Chapel Hill, N.C., 89.3 FM) KDVS (Davis, CA., 90.3 FM) KVRX (91.7 FM in Austin, TX), KALX (90.7 in Berkeley CA), KRFP Moscow, Idaho (Free Radio Moscow, 92.5 FM),  WITC (91.7 FM Cazenoivia, NY), WCBN (88.3 FM in Ann Arbor, MI), and WREK (Atlanta, 91.1 FM) in addition to WFMU (New Jersey, 91.1 FM). Former KUSF DJ Billy Jam, now at WFMU, organized the event and will MC it along with WFMU's Gaylord Fields. Jam told RadioSurvivor.com that the event is, “to celebrate the greatness that was (and hopefully soon again will be) KUSF on the FM dial where it deserves to be. There will be six KUSF DJs doing half hour sets each … and I have asked them all to include as many KUSF 90.3 FM celebrity IDs and 'drops' as possible so it sounds like the good ol' KUSF pre-Jan. 18, 2011. But mostly, the goal is to further raise awareness and help fight the good fight to save KUSF.”

The University of San Francisco announced it was selling the broadcast license for KUSF 90.3 FM on Jan. 18. That morning at 10 a.m., the university shut down KUSF without notice and turned the signal at 90.3 FM over to the University of Southern California's Classical Public Radio Network. The radio signal was cut, the broadcast went static, and DJs were escorted out of station headquarters. In the weeks since, a wide array of voices has spoken out against the proposed sale including the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, California state senator Leland Yee, the San Francisco Democratic Party, the USF Faculty Association, Yo La Tengo, and The Kronos Quartet. All have spoken against the proposed transfer of the 90.3 FM license to non-local entity, the University of Southern California, which already owns five other terrestrial broadcast licenses. The coalition of volunteers working to save KUSF 90.3 FM now has more than 7,300 members. The group’s Facebook page has already received over 1.3 million post views, which has helped fund the legal costs to file a Petition to Deny the pending license transfer with the FCC.

Comments

[Mindwrecker]

Glad to see this story getting further coverage here! Thanks, Brian.

[That Guy]

Tempest in a teapot. Seems to me like it a reasonable thing for a private educational institution that is struggling financially to sell a piece of property that is not central to its mission. From what I have read the station had few student workers or listeners. I suppose the university should have offered the local folks the opportunity to match $$$ they were getting from the other buyer...but that would have probably been a major clusterfuck for them in the end. Yes, it is sad when something cool disappears. SF has scads of good radio stations. If this were happening in Des Moines or Lincoln there might be more cause for alarm.

[Regina]

Hey Guy,
You have only been reading the propaganda put out by USF, the seller, and the University of Southern California, which is empire building. Did you also hear about the station being shut down mid-broadcast with no warning by the armed officers of the college police form known as Public Safety?

[Ratso]

Jeez, Guy, you're only wrong on the following points:

1. USF is "struggling financially." (The university is quite rich, and they sold the station cheap.)
2. KUSF had "few student workers or listeners." (KUSF trained many, many students over the years and had tens of thousands of listeners.)
3. "SF has scads of good radio stations." (KUSF was the only San Francisco college station broadcasting over the airwaves, and the only SF station with a free music format and multilingual programming.)
4. "If this were happening in Des Moines or Lincoln..." (It just might be! But ill-informed guys like you would probably make excuses for those situations, too.)

I'm not sure why you're hanging out on an indie radio station blog with attitudes like yours. Stations like KUSF are something larger than the entity that owns them. They're of the community, by the community, and for the community. The airwaves on the left end of the dial are reserved for such outlets. You should know this--or are you just a USF troll?

[mary-kate]

I LOVE KUSF!!!! MISS Y'ALL!!!!
xoxox

[grassynoel]

Tell it, Ratso!

[sprattle]

Isn't Entercom as much to blame as the University of Southern California, if not more? They're screwing over classical music fans by moving KDFC to the other end of the dial and screwing fans of free-form radio by shutting down KUSF. All of this is designed to give a San Jose-based "classic rock superstation" more penetration into the northern part of the Bay Area.

I don't want to see classical fans pitted against KUSF fans. They both have culturally valuable programming.

[akira]

very cool

[ent_er]

good point, sprattle. someone should look into that angle. I haven't heard that before, but it sounds very likely.

and then there's *this* going on...
http://www.apts.org/news/press-release/house-eliminates-funding-local-public-television-and-radio-stations

[J]

Hey That Guy,

I have lived in San Francisco since '92. I now live in Oakland. I have listened to KUSF driving to work in Marin, SF, Oakland, Berkeley, San Leandro, San Mateo and Hayward because commercial Bay Area radio stations are rather tepid and stagnant. Radio stations like KUSF, KALX, KFJC, KZSU & KSJS bring unique programming that is not inhibited by "radio programers" but enlivened by individuals who bring creative heart to the airwaves with every show and cultural program.

Unfortunately because of their humble existence these awesome radio stations do not broadcast clearly in every quadrant of the land but provide an exciting oasis from county to county for musical individuality. KUSF brought a variety and spirit unique to its own staff as the other stations do. Every radio station has its own unique flavor that constantly evolves and grows but the loss of KUSF is like the loss of a family member.

While USF is a wealthy institution the station raised its own funds for the new broadcast antenna that was sold as part of the transaction. The musical collection could be argued to be property of the station because it was curated and developed by the countless volunteers of the past three decades.

KUSF produced shows, brought new and unknown performers to the ears of thousands and thousands listeners. It's ironic to consider that before they grew up Metallica could only be heard on the radio, in the eighties, on KUSF before they got their cassettes out there.

I understand that you might not be concerned with others' musical culture. Please consider your dilution and misunderstanding of the facts maybe a symptom of the community of why radio is in such endangered circumstances...