by Daniel Haverty

The reincarnation of what was good about FM radio has returned to central Texas in the creation of KUTX. The radio station, located on the UT campus, was launched January second of this year and has a style reminiscent of vintage FM radio. The music sets are longer and because of the public nature of the station, the advertising content is greatly diminished. The actual music format is varied and contains a great deal of local artists. Austin based band “The Trishas” appeared live on February seventh and the broadcast included a live interview with the band. It is a common occurrence for the fledgling radio station to have live sets in their famed Studio 1A.

UT bought the frequency 98.9 for a cool six million dollars, and an inside source says this price was a bargain in today’s market. The university had long planned this acquisition and when the opportunity became available, they acted promptly. Local favorite DJ, Jody Denberg, has given the station an instantly recognizable sound and reputation in a traditionally fickle market. With a mixture of Indie, Rock, Jazz, Country, Contemporary, and local bands that cannot be pigeon- holed into a category; KUTX has achieved a great balance of musical styles for listeners to enjoy. The demise of KGSR created a void in local radio choices, but KUTX’s DJ Jody Denberg has filled that void. The addition of local legend Paul Ray and his Saturday night blues show has certainly added to the station’s growing reputation.

There have been a number of live appearances by renowned artists, such as Bobby Whitlock and Ryan Bingham, who have performed live at the radio station. The possibility of live broadcasts from the legendary Cactus Café is not out of the imagination for future events. The sky is no limit for KUTX and its familiarity with Austin acts and their respective national and international followings.

The KUT family of public radio has served the Austin area for fifty-five years and their musical contributions have been fantastic, but the addition of KUTX has become a monumental creation to the Austin music scene. In a very short time KUTX has become an oasis on the radio dial that gives local listeners a safe port of call from sponsor dictated playlists and advertisements that are decibels louder than prescribed audio programming.

College radio has always been a beloved tradition and when KUT began many years ago, Austin was a sleepy little town of a couple hundred thousand. Now that ATX has burgeoned over the million mark in population, it was time to develop a secondary public radio entity with a voice of its own and a format to match the changes in today’s music industry.

The state of the art facility possesses not only top tier audio equipment, but also an architectural design that eliminates any undesired outside vibrations and allows for a great deal of natural light. The planning for the building and the second station KUTX has proven to be a great sounding and visually appealing addition to the Austin community.