KUSF Engineering Room back in June 2010 (Photo: J. Waits)
On Tuesday, April 12 the FCC approved University of San Francisco’s revised request to move the transmitter for KUSF out of San Francisco to Sausalito and issued a Construction Permit (PDF).
This “minor change in licensed facilities” request, made on behalf of Classical Public Radio Network (which is awaiting FCC approval on its application to purchase KUSF 90.3 FM), is part of CPRN’s attempt to increase coverage for their classical music broadcast of KDFC.
Currently CPRN is broadcasting over KUSF 90.3 FM, as well as over KDFC 89.9 FM in Angwin, CA (formerly known as KNDL). On April 5th the FCC approved CPRN’s request to change KNDL’s call sign to KDFC following the consummation (PDF) of the purchase on April 4th.
As we reported last week, Stanford University’s college radio station KZSU is worried that moving KUSF’s transmitter will have a negative impact on their broadcasts over 90.1 FM. Despite the recent FCC approval of this move, KZSU is still working hard to prevent it from happening. KZSU Business Manager Abra Jeffers told me that KZSU is still consulting with engineers and analyzing the application in order to ensure that their signal won’t face interference from KUSF. She added that beyond the issue of potential interference, she is also troubled by the potential sale of KUSF as it represents a “loss of educational community programming.”
KZSU encouraged its listeners to write letters to both KZSU and the FCC expressing concern about the KUSF transmitter move. KZSU was expected to submit a letter to the FCC on Monday. They also are working on a Petition for Reconsideration that they will send to the FCC in the days to come regarding the transmitter move.
On Saturday, Abra hit the streets for Record Store Day and along the way she collected letters from KZSU listeners. She told me, “People were literally thanking me for giving them the opportunity to do something. I was just surprised at how easy and positive the response was.”
Although KZSU stopped collecting letters over the weekend, they are still encouraging listeners to write directly to the FCC and to members of Congress.
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Complete Radio Survivor coverage about the proposed sale of KUSF can be found here. I also wrote about my reaction to the KUSF shut down and to the Save KUSF Multi-Station Live Broadcast on Spinning Indie. My article chronicling my KUSF field trip 2 years ago is housed there too. For more on the bigger picture of college radio station sell-offs, see my December 2009 piece “Cash-strapped Schools Turn Their Backs on College Radio.” And, for a quick overview of the situation at KUSF, see my article, “The Story Behind the KUSF Shutdown” on PopMatters.
