Save KTRU

Today while driving around Houston I listened to KTRU. KTRU is the Rice University radio station that has been recently "acquired" by the University of Houston to become a 24hr classical music station while UofH's KTRH becomes a full time public radio station. I have received all kinds of mailed (snail and email) pleas and requests from KTRU to help stop the sale. I signed the online "protest" and even sent a condolences email to their web site. But, living outside of Houston I sort of did not take this all to seriously.

I used to listen to KTRU all the time when I was at college and working in Houston. I loved their totally eclectic brand of outrageous music and monotonic DJing. But, I had truly forgotten how completely unusual they really are. Today while stuck in traffic on the Southwest Freeway I heard 10 minutes of what sounded like someone banging on his bathtub, followed by Algerian rap in French, followed by some Cajun guitar and then 20 minutes of Ornette Coleman strangling his sax. This really is a one in a million radio station and it will be a great shame when it's forced off the air. While I don't love everything that's played, it's one of the truly unique things about this great sprawling mass of urbaness. I will miss it when it's gone.