We’re all bummed that both Joey Ramone and KUSF are gone — but it might still be possible to resuscitate the latter. Start by attending this afternoon’s rally prior to the Board of Supervisors’ meeting.
From the official call to action:
The University of San Francisco acted in bad faith last week in the gross mishandling and sale of its student and community-run radio station of 33 years, KUSF. Last Tuesday the station was abruptly taken off the air with no forewarning to the community, station volunteers, students, or faculty.
City Hall, 1pm. Be there!
[Photo by Bobby Castro via All Of Them Witches]
Full press release after the jump:
Save KUSF Calls on Board of Supervisors for Review of Public Rights in Sale of KUSF
The University of San Francisco acted in bad faith last week in the gross mishandling and sale of its student and community-run radio station of 33 years, KUSF. Last Tuesday the station was abruptly taken off the air with no forewarning to the community, station volunteers, students, or faculty.
On Wednesday January 19th, nearly 500 KUSF supporters rallied on campus to denounce the decision of University President, Father Stephen A. Privett, to sell the station and silence community radio in San Francisco.
The President claimed there was a lack of student involvement at the station. He obscured the statistic of student volunteers to suit his own needs. He issued contradictory statements of what his proposed online-only format would include, and he hid behind the non-disclosure agreement he signed from his $3.75 million deal involving media conglomerate Entercom. The back- door dealings by the University were strategically announced while the students were on their winter break. The proposed sale would not be in the public’s interest and is contrary to the FCC’s stated commitment to localism.
With nine languages represented on the air (including programs like ‘Chinese Star Radio’) KUSF has been a cultural oasis and reflection of a diverse listening audience. Programs like these are now in jeopardy and it has not been made clear by USF whether the future of KUSF would include community members as well as serve the student population.
Currently there is no online station and no clear plan for transition was implemented by the University. An online-only format would not serve the community in the same manner as listening to KUSF once did. Low-income listeners without broadband access have not been accounted for. Radio serves the public and KUSF always did its due diligence in providing underwriting and public service announcements to benefit the entire community regardless of ethnicity, economic background, religious affiliation or sexual orientation.
The fight and legal pursuit to block FCC approval of the station’s sale continues with the Save KUSF’s mission to get back on the dial, despite the University’s plan to squelch these marginalized voices in a deal that put finance before the community’s best interests.
Please join us and help Save KUSF by attending and covering this story. USF has challenged the public’s trust and acted in its own best interests, not its students.
What: Save KUSF rally before San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors’ Meeting
Where: City Hall
When: Tuesday, January 25th 1 p.m. (rally) 2 p.m. (meeting) 3:30 (public forum)
Contact: Irwin Swirnoff 415-424-5904
email: savekusf@gmail.com
savekusf.org and on Facebook: Save KUSF
not cool at all that the ‘all them witches’ tumblr fails to properly credit this image to local photographer Bobby Castro.
Now that you know who this photo rightfully belongs to, the very least, you guys can credit it.
yw.
Wrote to my supervisor. Thanks for the heads up. KUSF is one of about 3 interesting stations on the dial around here, so it’s definately worth saving.
I have a better idea — how about we ban CBS and ClearChannel from SF airwaves? That way we’ll have a bunch of non-shitty radio stations instead of just one.
The majority of the American public disagrees with you, Communist homosexual. What part of “majority rule, minority lose” don’t you understand? Why don’t you go to your Messiah half-breed illegal alien monkey boy BARRY HUSSEIN SORTERO and demand that the gov’t take over the radio stations so you can cram your weirdo minority crap down the throats of the majority?
And oh yes, HOW BIG WAS YOUR CELEBRATION ON SEPT. 11, 2001?
Sweet troll, babycakes! Four stars out of five (you got an extra half star for misspelling “Soetoro”).
BEST TROLL EVER
A private Catholic school does what a private Catholic school wants to do. It’s over……keep moving.