KUSF in San Francisco shut down?

Seems like it:

http://kusf.org/

http://twitter.com/sanfransalty/status/27444402502770688

Word from a fellow ILXor is: "public meeting tomorrow @ 7pm in fromm hall of USF"

Going online only -- broadcast frequency assigned to a...USC spinoff?

http://www.usfca.edu/Newsroom/Community_News/KUSF_Moves_to_Online_Only_Format/

they're not the only ones... http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/06/business/media/06stations.html

I should c/p that whole announcement here -- enjoy the doubletalk!

--

The University of San Francisco (USF) announced today that KUSF, the university’s radio station, is moving to an online only format, effective immediately. The university has reached an agreement to assign the FCC license for radio frequency 90.3 FM to Classical Public Radio Network, which is launching a non-commercial classical music station in the Bay Area. CPRN is owned by University of Southern California.

The call letters KUSF were not sold, and the KUSF logo and all music inventory will remain USF property. All KUSF staff will be offered similar positions at KUSF.org.

The move to online-only distribution gives KUSF a powerful opportunity to grow its worldwide audience. Previously, the station was limited to 100 online listeners at a time, but capacity will be increased to accommodate thousands of listeners.

The station will go dark briefly for necessary engineering work. It is possible the electrical work could take several days.

As it shifts to an online-only format, USF will focus on the station’s primary purpose as a teaching laboratory for students. The university is evaluating ways to improve the student learning experience and enhance its curriculum in digital media and audio production. USF is also pleased to announce that CPRN will make internships available to qualified USF students interested in radio broadcasting.

USF will invest the proceeds from the sale to support its mission, and will continue to offer a valuable learning experience for its media students. USF is pleased that it can also help ensure the long-term presence of high-quality classical music programming in the Bay Area.

The sale must be approved by the Federal Communications Commission.

USF is also pleased to announce free castor oil for all students

The move to online-only distribution gives KUSF a powerful opportunity to grow its worldwide audience

ugh

was just telling pete on facebook that they tried to do this exact thing at U of Missouri in the 1990s. sell the license to a local NPR affiliate to run jazz/classical format. students fought it and won but the station ended up going web-only in the 2000s anyway.

>From Twitter feeds just now:

CarolyntheDJ Just showed up @kusf to my show and the doors are locked. USF has sold the station. Management was in on it. They're keeping all our records

hollowearth: “@WFMU: w/o telling @KUSF, facilities mgmt locked up all doors & escorted everyone off the air and out of the building like criminals”

"ATTENTION: USF just sold KUSF! #WTF we're off the air. we need your
help. Impromptu demonstration on the USF campus tomorrow at 7"

Lame stuff, but is this really true:

"Previously, the station was limited to 100 online listeners at a time, but capacity will be increased to accommodate thousands of listeners."

Cuz if so, wow.

They're keeping all our records

Okay, this is real bullshit right here.

scary - good luck to students/staff/DJs in fighting this.

http://twitter.com/KUSF

some more info here

wow what a clusterfuck

What was its broadcast signal strength? How far away could it be heard?

uh, from facebook:
"this just in seconds ago . . . campus security is now trying to forcibly remove people from the station. a community volunteer and a student are standing firm. stay tuned . . . ((PUN INTENDED!))"

It's pretty regrettable - and lame - that they didn't say anything to staff about this before it was a done deal.

KUSF's 3000 watts made it pretty easy to listen everywhere in SF, most everywhere in berkeley and oakland, some ways into south marin, and some ways down the peninsula.

everybody come on out tomorrow night to the meeting. ill be there ASAP after work -- the meeting is at 7pm at fromm hall, but we're telling people to meet at phelan hall (both of these places are easy to find using google maps btw) @ 645 and walk over together.

that is lame. obviously it's a private univeristy and their station and they can do with it what they want but this seems to be going down in a very lame way.

i think the '100 person limit' was about how many people could listen online at one time, at least that's how I read it?

they're going to be lucky to have anyone willing to run the 'online version' after this.

damn, i wish i could make it, but i have work until 8:30 -- yeah, this is just bad management practices, esp. for a station that is supposed to be community-oriented.

they're going to be lucky to have anyone willing to run the 'online version' after this.

I imagine administration would be just fine with their being no radio station at all, online or otherwise

there

xp - no, i'm sure the school administration sees value in the station as an educational resource for its students, but they don't seem to appreciate the role the station has played in the Bay Area arts community.

Facebook page on the meetup Pete mentions:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=187664744594995

it looks like the KUSF shut down is part of a larger frequency ownership swap involving the commercial classical station and a South Bay classic rock station

The only station worth listening to in the Bay area. Such a bummer.

KPOO yo

Good point

Any updates for today? Pete?

An overview of things:

http://t.co/tuUyITo

This is so sad. Alas, I remember when Georgetown University in DC sold its station for $1 to another DC university(for political diversity reasons) which later sold it to CSPAN.

So, wait KDFC is going to 90.3?

KDFC will be broadcasting commercial free on 90.3 starting Monday, yes.

I suppose no one else thinks it's offensive that classical programming is by default derided as "fucking dentist's office music"?

I get that this isn't really the thread for it but as an outsider looking in, I'd feel a hell of a lot more sympathy without those types of attitudes being expressed as a reaction.

Dan, KDFC is a pretty tame classical music station though I do listen to it. I'm frankly sad for KUSF and concerned for KDFC.

My heart goes out to these folks. I've been involved in a very low level in the whole KTRU affair (referenced in the NY times article linked above). For the most part its been a huge clusterfuck. The news broke out when most of the key station people were on vacation/at home with their families and unavailable for quick comment. Things gradually came out about how Rice officials really really acted unethical at every turn (ignoring civil requests for comment, feeding false information to one newspaper while negotiating an exclusivity deal w/another).

The deal was finalized in the fall and at the time U of H said they'd take over after New Year's. The FCC public comment period was in November and the KTRU gang was fairly successful generating letters. Right now they're still on the air, and there hasn't been any new news since before Christmas.

I think one of the biggest problems now is that the whole thing has been drawn out so long (five months have passed since the story broke) that what was outrage in August will become "who cares?" now.

Just heard an update for tonight:

Please note, we will no longer be meeting at Fromm Hall! The new location is the USF Presentation Theater at 2350 Turk Street. 7pm.

Inside the presentation theater, the USF president will be hosting a meeting for the KUSF staff. We ask all of our supporters in the general public to peacefully show their support for KUSF on the sidewalk in front of the presentation theater

my friend sent this letter to the usf president. ha. so good

Dear sir,

As you are aware, there are throngs of bay area citizens who are shocked and broken hearted over USF's decision to sell 90.3fm and effectively shut down kusf radio. You may count me as one of those citizens.

The university may be finding some peace with its decision in the fact that there are plans to keep the online programming and continuing with the school's broadcasting classes but aren't there more important compromises at play here?

How about the dishonesty of back dooring the sale? How about preventing a simple "good bye and thanks for supporting the radio station" period for the staff and volunteers? How about short selling your own community in not discussing a possible different solution to selling the frequency?

The compromise here is in shelving, what i consider to be one of the corner stones of the University of San Francisco, "Integrity".

An SF native, i grew up in the inner sunset and could literally look out my window and see the cathedral towers. As a young adult i always held a quiet reverence for this school and its presence as a pillar of education in San Francisco. A good childhood friend of mine went the USF's law school, has graduated, and is now a public defender for the city. All this time I had no idea of the slap in the face i was going to receive this past Tuesday. I never would have guessed that the words "USF" and "sleazy" would be mentioned in the same sentence.

These days, i'm a resident in Oakland and in a weird, twisted way i am relieved. I'm embarrassed for myself in looking up to this institution for i was fooled.

To you and any other member of your school who finds it acceptable to railroad an unsuspecting and supportive community, i turn away but present you my middle finger.

Fuck you University of San Francisco

Thanks for the lesson

Sincerely,

Jay Mak

A report from last night:

http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2011/01/20/huge-outpouring-of-support-for-kusf-at-meeting-regarding-its-future/

Plus other good thoughts here:

http://herjazz.org/post/2842719361

Stephen Abbate says, "...Talk in some news reports about the alleged 'new improved online' KUSF having the same content and/or programming is misinformation and deception: the truth being we were completely shut down, no one at USF has a clue how or when the future digital station will be functional, and a shuffling ipod belonging to someone in the business office is what you hear on the internet stream now."

via WFMU blog

Start writing:

http://savekusf.org/2011/01/26/fcc-paperwork-has-been-filed-send-us-all-your-response-letters-now/

Bit of a catch-all report today on Pitchfork:

http://pitchfork.com/news/41554-san-francisco-indie-scene-fights-to-save-kusf/

In an act of solidarity with the Save KUSF movement and the legions of KUSF 90.3FM supporters still in shock over the sudden silencing last month of San Francisco's beloved freeform radio station, Amoeba Music San Francisco will join forces with New Jersey's WFMU radio this Friday, February 18th, to host an all KUSF DJ live remote broadcast that will be on WFMU airwaves back... east as well as streaming online on WFMU.org. KUSF DJs spinning music sets during the 3 hour instore that begins at noon sharp will include Irwin (Sleeves on Hearts), Carolyn, Stereo Steve, Jantine B, Harry D (In The Soul Kitchen), and DJ Schmeejay, who was in the middle of his popular Tuesday morning show, Radiodrome, on the morning of January 18th when the plug (literally) was pulled on the 90.3FM transmitter. KZSU Stanford will simulcast the WFMU feed on both their website and on their airwaves at 90.1FM so folks in the Bay Area can tune in on their radios to hear the Amoeba in-store broadcast. Other non-commercial stations may be participating as well

The live event at Amoeba on Haight Street will be broadcast both online and terrestrially on WFMU (91.1 FM in New Jersey), Stanford University station KZSU (90.1 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area), Loyola Marymount station KXLU (88.9 FM in Los Angeles), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill station WXYC (89.3 FM in Chapel Hill, North Carolina), and Foothill College station KFJC (89.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area). More stations are expected to be announced in the coming days.

aw. that's cool.

Been listening on WFMU for an hour or so. Yay.