Tonight: KTRU Open Forum/Q&A at Rice

I know it might seem to the whole “Save KTRU!” thing has taken over this little blog as of late; apologies for anybody that annoys, but the whole mess is pretty deeply personal to me, both because {KTRU} pretty much shaped my appreciation of music for the rest of my life (barring some sort of weird retro-fascination with mid-’90s country or something, and if that ever happens, well, I’ve got bigger issues going on) and because of the fuck-you-we-do-what-we-want attitude displayed so far by the administration of Rice University about the sale.

Frankly, I’m pissed. If you are, too, or if you’re at least concerned/worried/freaked out about the prospect of KTRU vanishing from the airwaves, well, here’s your chance to make your voice heard. The staff of KTRU are holding an Q&A session tonight at Rice, in Sewall Hall Room 301 (if you don’t know where Sewall is, it’s one of the buildings in the university’s main quad; see a fancy interactive map over here), starting at 7:30PM.

Here’re the details from the press release I was sent:

Rice President Leebron invited to Q&A regarding the proposed sale of KTRU 91.7 FM

HOUSTON, TX–Station management of KTRU 91.7 Rice Radio invite students, faculty, and alumni to a Q&A with KTRU management regarding the proposed sale of the station’s FM license, transmitter and frequency. Rice President David Leebron, Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson, VP of Public Affairs Linda Thrane, and VP of Administration Kevin Kirby have been invited to attend and participate in Q&A. The public are welcome to attend, but limited seating will be available.

Media are invited to attend.

WHO: Station management. Rice President David Leebron, Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson, VP of Public Affairs Linda Thrane, and VP of Administration Kevin Kirby have been invited.
WHAT: Public Q&A regarding proposed sale of KTRU 91.7FM license, transmitter and frequency
WHERE: Sewall Hall Room 301, Rice University campus, 6100 Main St.
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 1
FOR MORE INFO: Visit www.savektru.org

Now, I don’t know whether or not the administration’s representatives will actually show up for this; I sincerely hope they do, and if they can explain why they did what they did, I’d love to hear it. I’m not holding my breath, however — I know the administration’s spurned at least one previous attempt by the KTRU staff to set up an open-forum meeting, and Pres. Leebron and his cohorts seem very leery of airing all this out in public.

Which makes perfect sense…if you know full well that what you’ve done is cynical, underhanded, and openly contemptuous of the people you’re supposed to represent and look out for, that is. Can’t imagine why they’d have a problem defending that…

Anyway, I’d encourage anybody and everybody to show up, show their support, and make your voice heard (politely; house-party rules here, people, so no breaking shit or overturning RUPD cars), especially if you happen to be a current Rice student or alum.

And hey, you can download a printable PDF of the forum flyer here, plus a handily informative little PDF factsheet over here, should you need to convert others to the cause.