Benefit to Get KTXT Radio Back On-Air
By: Lisa Carr
Updated: January 8, 2009
The former Texas Tech FM radio station, KTXT, has been off the air for a month now. Thursday night, supporters of the radio station held a benefit to help get it back up and running.
More than a hundred folks showed up at Jake's Back Room to help raise money to save KTXT. The Student Media Department at Tech pulled the plug back in December. They said the reason was because a new multi-media program is the most contemporary and cost-effective way to educate students, but KTXT supporters say they're not giving up. They believe an FM radio station is still a very important educational tool.
KTXT Music Director, Ben Williams, says, "At KTXT you didn't just learn about doing radio. You also learned practical skills you could use in any field, whether it be public speaking, promotions, marketing."
The Student Media Department says there is no chance they will put KTXT back on the air. They say it does not make sense financially and they have simply decided to focus their attention on having a bigger web presence. Fundraiser organizers say they'll use the money from Thursday's benefit to try to get a different department at Tech to back KTXT.
