KPLU Ownership Change?

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KPLU Ownership Change?

Postby cart_machine » Thu Nov 12, 2015 5:11 pm

Public radio station KUOW announces plans to purchase KPLU
SEATTLE — (AP) Seattle-based public radio station KUOW has announced plans to buy KPLU in an $8 million deal.
The University of Washington station, known for National Public Radio content, will buy the KPLU broadcasting licenses from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma.
Pacific Lutheran University spokeswoman Donna Gibbs said Thursday the deal from more than a decade of talks about how to better serve public radio listeners in the Puget Sound region.
Eventually, the KPLU station will change from news and jazz to all jazz music. No decision reportedly has been made about KPLU news staff and their jobs going forward.
The purchase involves $7 million in cash and $1 million of underwriting announcements over 10 years.
University of Washington regents will have to approve the purchase, as will the Federal Communications Commission.

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/enterta ... 50993.html
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Re: KPLU Ownership Change?

Postby skyvalleyradio » Fri Nov 13, 2015 3:25 pm

If the press release is to be believed, it's fantastic news for jazz fans & program/format changes long overdue. Jazz as a genre has had a stale decade partly due to the reduction in US public FM stations axing jazz as a format or greatly reducing airtime allotted to jazz. The news/talk programming replacing it is more lucrative for listener-supported income plus ratings. KPLU has been steadily reducing it's jazz air time, most recently on weekends. The duplication in NPR news/talk on KUOW & KPLU - 10 hours/day is ridiculous & I have often wondered why the 2 stations couldn't have worked out an arrangement whereby one station is all news/talk, the other all jazz. After 20 years as a KPLU "jazzoid" member/supporter, I got fed up in 2004 with the reduction in jazz air time & stopped contributing to KPLU. Instead, I launched & operated my own Internet jazz station for over 10 years until the royalty rate escalation coupled with disability retirement income, it was no longer sustainable. In recent years, KPLU has at least offered a 24/7 jazz stream on it's website, but this has been of no use while mobile or commuting. With more wireless hotspots available, this too will evolve.

What does concern me is the future of KPLU news dept jobs. One of the KPLU airstaff whom I know has told me privately that the sale & job losses came as a surprise to the news dept - if true it's a sad commentary on the objectives of the KUOW board & management. It would be desirable to see KPLU keep it's excellent local/regional news component & dump "Morning Edition" "All Things Considered" & "Fresh Aire". The news team could be part of a FULL-SERVICE morning/afternoon drive program with plenty of jazz & air staff interaction keeping the best of KPLU's information output. Just a be-boppin' to this news! :groovy: :glasses7:
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Re: KPLU Ownership Change?

Postby erratics » Fri Nov 13, 2015 9:06 pm

If KUOW does buy KPLU, I think the likelihood of Jazz 24hrs, 7 days of the week to complement the news/talk programming on KUOW these days is very low. I do enjoy the jazz programming on KPLU and hope it does carry on. But with this purchase, if it goes through, I think another form of programming with time will probably turn up with time for this station, maybe AAA.
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Re: KPLU Ownership Change?

Postby skyvalleyradio » Sat Nov 14, 2015 2:57 pm

Possibly but it's doubtful that KUOW will want to compete with & tap into the listener base that KEXP has successfully built up with it's excellent AAA/world-beat music approach. If U of W eventually pulls the plug on an all-jazz station, it's probable they will switch to more news/talk or possibly sell off the 94.9 license which could be reverted to commercial status by one of the corpse. Some speculation suggests that eventually KUOW & KPLU will switch frequencies with the more lucrative KUOW news/talk ending up on the stronger, better signal on 88.5 plus the secondary stations operated by KPLU. These include KVIX 89.3 serving Victoria & the Olympic Peninsula. The all-jazz station would then end up on 94.9, which also has translators throughout northwest Wash. It will be up to jazz & blues lovers to step up to the plate & financially support a 24/7 station. Already there is much enthusiasm among regional musicians, school jazz bands plus festival & concert promoters for an all-jazz signal :thumbup:
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Re: KPLU Ownership Change?

Postby Aaron » Sat Nov 14, 2015 3:30 pm

erratics wrote:If KUOW does buy KPLU, I think the likelihood of Jazz 24hrs, 7 days of the week to complement the news/talk programming on KUOW these days is very low. I do enjoy the jazz programming on KPLU and hope it does carry on. But with this purchase, if it goes through, I think another form of programming with time will probably turn up with time for this station, maybe AAA.


KUOW has already announced that it will be taking KPLU 100% Jazz.
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