The Federal Communications Commission announced today it has approved the sale of Rice University student station KTRU's (91.7 FM) broadcast license and signal tower to the University of Houston System, which plans to change the free-form format to classical music and fine-arts programming, and broadcast as KUHC.
KTRU's current programming will continue as is at ktru.org and on KPFT's (90.1 FM) HD-2 channel.
No word on when KUHC will be up and running, but it probably won't be very long. KTRU station manager Joey Yang says the staff could find out as early as this afternoon, and that the two universities have ten business days to transfer the funds. That may not necessarily be when KTRU will be off the FM airwaves, though, he added.
See excerpts from the FCC's decision - the important part at the end, that grants the transfer - after the jump.
We find that neither the Petitioners nor the Objectors have raised a substantial and material question of fact warranting further inquiry. We further find that grant of the Applications is consistent with the public interest, convenience and necessity.Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED, that the Petition to Deny filed by Friends of KTRU IS DENIED, the Informal Objections submitted by Janet Greenberg, Karen Bush, and William McGuinness, IV ARE DENIED, and that the applications for approval to assign the license for NCE Station KTRU(FM), Houston, Texas (BALED-20101029ACX) and FM Translator Station K218DA, Houston, Texas (File No. BALFT-20101029ACY) from William Marsh Rice University to University of Houston System ARE GRANTED.
See the entire document at fcc.gov, and Rocks Off's complete coverage of the KTRU saga here.
Follow Rocks Off on Facebook and on Twitter at @HPRocksOff.