R.I.P. KTXT (1961 - 2008) Options

[blaarg]

KTXT is no more. Student Media Department didn't inform anyone on staff and changed the locks during the "final" broadcast before pulling the plug on the last day of finals.

http://www.kcbd.com/global/story.asp?s=9502063

[Mommy]

I think that the reasons "cutting off the student voice" and "KTXT had great programming" are the GAYEST reasons EVER to keep that radio station up and running.

First off, the students still have the free speech zone. Secondly, the newspaper isn't going anywhere for a while, and if it does it will be replaced with a web version of the news. Finally, KTXT played really crappy music that nobody gave a damn about except the few people that worked there and their friends.

The ONLY valid reason to keep that station up and running is that it is excellent training for those majoring in radio and tv broadcast or whatever they call it. It's great experience. That's the sad part. Now those students won't have anywhere to work or intern because I am sure the few local stations are already scraping the bottom of the barrel to get by. Radio and TV are a dying industry. So are newspapers. What they SHOULD look into is an internet broadcast. How many students sit there and listen to music on their computer while they type a paper? Internet is the way to go. If they weren't generating a profit, than it is because they were being poorly managed. They should have started other advertising schemes and other broadcast methods. Hell, even Podcasting so students could put it on their mp3 player and listen to it. They also should have stopped being so artsy fartsy. It's cool to play obscure. It's not cool to play a bunch of trance music that no one even likes.

[SaveKTXT!]

I think that the reasons "cutting off the student voice" and "KTXT had great programming" are the GAYEST reasons EVER to keep that radio station up and running.

First off, the students still have the free speech zone. Secondly, the newspaper isn't going anywhere for a while, and if it does it will be replaced with a web version of the news. Finally, KTXT played really crappy music that nobody gave a damn about except the few people that worked there and their friends.

The ONLY valid reason to keep that station up and running is that it is excellent training for those majoring in radio and tv broadcast or whatever they call it. It's great experience. That's the sad part. Now those students won't have anywhere to work or intern because I am sure the few local stations are already scraping the bottom of the barrel to get by. Radio and TV are a dying industry. So are newspapers. What they SHOULD look into is an internet broadcast. How many students sit there and listen to music on their computer while they type a paper? Internet is the way to go. If they weren't generating a profit, than it is because they were being poorly managed. They should have started other advertising schemes and other broadcast methods. Hell, even Podcasting so students could put it on their mp3 player and listen to it. They also should have stopped being so artsy fartsy. It's cool to play obscure. It's not cool to play a bunch of trance music that no one even likes.

KTXT is the only radio station I listen to in Lubbock and I am not an employee nor do I have a single friend that is. So to sum up: you're wrong.

They are totally “artsy fartsy” though. That point I won’t argue. Them with their damn art, always trying to generate societal progress! Don't they understand money is paramount?!

Also calling something "GAY" is far less offensive than it is simply sophomoric. As far as their "crappy" music, your auditory palate is obviously is as puerile as your choice in avatar expression.

[Oasis]

They are totally “artsy fartsy” though. That point I won’t argue. Them with their damn art, always trying to generate societal progress! Don't they understand money is paramount?!

How on earth is playing emo and indie music considered societal progress? They aren't on the cutting edge of societal progress. They're a college radio station playing the same faux "underground" college radio station music that every other college radio station in the country is playing.

And they're elitists about it. They aren't cutting edge hipsters for listening to music no one else has heard about, because this is 2008, not 1998. Underground music ceased to exist when worldwide mp3 filesharing programs came in to popularity in 1999-2000. Before then, very few people knew who bands like Jimmy Eat World were because their music wasn't readily available on Napster, Audiogalaxy, Myspace, Purevolume, etc. You could only hear it through friends, indie record stores, local shows, mags like Maximumrockandroll, and word of mouth. Gone are the days when people only knew about music if it was played on MTV or pop radio

But the "artsy fartsy" KTXT hipster douchebags don't seem to realize this. The only reason they're counter culture is because no one else but them wants any part of their latte sipping, black rimmed glasses, sweater vested, indie culture. Sorry. It's not that people don't know about their lifestyle; people know about it, they're just not interested in it.

And yes, money is paramount if your radio station isn't making any money and is draining a large portion of Student Media's financial resources.

[SaveKTXT!]

How on earth is playing emo and indie music considered societal progress? They aren't on the cutting edge of societal progress. They're a college radio station playing the same faux "underground" college radio station music that every other college radio station in the country is playing.

And they're elitists about it. They aren't cutting edge hipsters for listening to music no one else has heard about, because this is 2008, not 1998. Underground music ceased to exist when worldwide mp3 filesharing programs came in to popularity in 1999-2000. Before then, very few people knew who bands like Jimmy Eat World were because their music wasn't readily available on Napster, Audiogalaxy, Myspace, Purevolume, etc. You could only hear it through friends, indie record stores, local shows, mags like Maximumrockandroll, and word of mouth. Gone are the days when people only knew about music if it was played on MTV or pop radio

But the "artsy fartsy" KTXT hipster douchebags don't seem to realize this. The only reason they're counter culture is because no one else but them wants any part of their latte sipping, black rimmed glasses, sweater vested, indie culture. Sorry. It's not that people don't know about their lifestyle; people know about it, they're just not interested in it.

And yes, money is paramount if your radio station isn't making any money and is draining a large portion of Student Media's financial resources.

Art by its very definition facilitates societal progress. It pushes boundaries. It rejects conformity. It expresses that which is otherwise inexpressible. It is never fully accepted by the mainstream. KTXT plays music that you cannot hear anywhere else in Lubbock. Hell, anywhere within a 500 mile radius of Lubbock. It embraces diversity and plays music that challenges our very idea of what music is. The term “artsy fartsy” is infantile, but it is hardly an insult.

There are hundreds of examples I could give on how and why KTXT is a “cultural beacon” to this area, but I’ll use a small yet straight-forward illustration. Every Monday night KTXT has a program called “Rhythm Rue.” During this program the station’s playlist is restricted to songs from other regions of the world. Tribal beats from Africa, French hip-hop, ect. There is no question that cultures can learn about and find commonality with one another through their music. This acceptance, however small, of cultural differences assists in our evolution as a society.

As far as your obvious distain for the imaginary, stereotypical “KTXT hipster douchebags,” I completely agree. I always see them at the coffee shop sipping lattes, wearing their glasses and sweater vests, as they proclaim their melodic superiority. They’re usually sitting right next to the blacks wearing their sagging pants, eating chicken and watermelon, as they conspire to trick our impressionable white women. On a completely unrelated note, I also enjoy asserting blanket generalizations about diverse groups of people.

[Oasis]

As far as your obvious distain for the imaginary, stereotypical “KTXT hipster douchebags,” I completely agree. I always see them at the coffee shop sipping lattes, wearing their glasses and sweater vests, as they proclaim their melodic superiority. They’re usually sitting right next to the blacks wearing their sagging pants, eating chicken and watermelon, as they conspire to trick our impressionable white women. On a completely unrelated note, I also enjoy asserting blanket generalizations about diverse groups of people.

I don't know if I can find one black person who fits that stereotype

However, I can find some KTXT fans who fit that stereotype. Nearly all of them, actually

It's a generalization because generally, it's a true assessment.

[NaomiK]

I don't know if I can find one black person who fits that stereotype

However, I can find some KTXT fans who fit that stereotype. Nearly all of them, actually

It's a generalization because generally, it's a true assessment.

How many KTXT fans and staff do you actually know? Because I know quite a few of them, and I can promise you that a diverse group of people listen to the radio station. Not all of us (I am a listener and, yes, a dj) sit in coffee shops all day long drinking over-priced drinks. And, I'm not sure who made this comment earlier, not all of us wear clothing that's too tight and black-framed glasses. (In fact, my glasses have a metal frame...) So, yes, there are some who may fit the generalizations you and others have made, but there are many others who do not. And besides, this should not be the focus of what's going on. The main topic should be the station getting shut down and the manner in which it occurred. The conversations should revolve around people's opinions concerning the station being put back on air (which I'm doing my part to help make happen), suggestions, criticism/critique of current methods, etc. Simply blasting people involved with the station and the music that is played is not constructive in either way. Suggestions for changes in music format is one thing, but negative comments with no suggestions is another.

Also... to the guy who posted and said he hasn't heard Built to Spill or E-40. I've played both. I actually made sure and got Built to Spill on air every week during my own shift, and requested it during others. (Oh yeah, it was also my first show as a college student at Jake's). Good taste.