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KUT protesters mark Oct. 11 for benefit shows
The community-wide protest of KUT’s downsizing the airtime of longtime DJs Paul Ray and Larry Monroe, just keeps gaining steam. The SaveKUTAustin organization, headed by ex-Mayor Lee Cooke and SIMS Foundation founding director Peyton Wimmer, bought a full-page ad in the recent Austin Chronicle, listing dozens of local musicians and luminaries who support the effort to bring back “Paul Ray’s Jazz” and Larry Monroe’s “Phil Music” programs. The ads, which reportedly cost a reduced rate of $1,200 each, are expected to continue for the next four weeks.
To pay for the ads, SaveKUTAustin is organizing the Twang Dang Doodle benefit on Oct. 11 at three clubs- Antone’s, Threadgill’s and Cedar Street. The lineup has not been confirmed but booker Danny Crooks said to expect Del Castillo, a Two Nice Girls reunion, Beto and the Fairlanes, Vallejo, a new band featuring Leonard Cohen’s music director Roscoe Beck and Anton Fig from the Letterman Show and many more.
There is a press conference planned for Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the Stevie Ray Vaughan statue to talk about these projects and the KUT decision that inspired them. Reported here first on July 3, the station cut Ray and Monroe to one night a week each and replaced some of their former hours with nationally syndicated music programming.
The Facebook group Support Larry Monroe and Paul Ray at KUT currently has almost 1,500 members.
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By lonnie
September 14, 2009 10:12 AM | Link to this
It’s not just about Paul & Larry, it’s about the direction of the station. The University of Texas has really let the community down by letting KUT loose it’s community focus.
By Stephen
September 14, 2009 1:09 PM | Link to this
Lose its community focus? Whatever. People are upset primarily because of the sacking of Ray and Monroe. If I were general manager, I’d certainly consider putting Ray on the HD-3 channel where his program would fit with the other jazz programs. As far as Phil Music is concerned, I’d be happy if it alternated somehow with Ekklektikos in the mornings.
By mary
September 14, 2009 4:13 PM | Link to this
As a community, not a non-profit or corporation we have to focus on what brings us positivity, education and free speech. What if the community radio started using only corporated generated shows? Would they play less John Lennon and Rage Against the Machine? Would they keep imporatant political, health and networking issues in the shadows and/or the underbelly on the pirate radios?
By Mike Barnes
September 15, 2009 1:08 PM | Link to this
The complaint is this: KUT’s music programs have started to sound the same. They are all based on the Adult/Alternative//Album format which you can hear 24/7 on KGSR. KUT management thinks (just as if this was a commercial radio station) that this is the path to “success.” To be able to show Arbiton numbers is their goal. KUT management has a stated goal of a KUT “sound.” They will achieve this by having DJ’s play from a committee-approved playlist of popular songs within that AAA format.
That may be the way to run a commercial radio station, but we deserve better from our public radio station.