NONCOMMERCIAL MARKET PROFILE: AUSTIN

Austin is more than the Capitol of Texas. It is a heart, soul and economic engine for education, music, film, culture and innovative ideas. What happens in Austin doesn’t stay in Austin – it often reverberates around the globe.

SIXTH STREET IN AUSTIN

 According to data from the Federal Census and the City of Austin, the metro population now tops 1.2 million people. Residents who identify as Hispanic or Latino are 35.1% of the metro population, Asians are 6.3% and LGBT are 5.3%

Life-long learners thrive in Austin. One recent survey ranked Austin the 16^th most literate city in America. Viewers of the travel channel voted Austin "America's No.1 College Town." Over 43 percent of Austin residents age 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree, while 16 percent hold a graduate degree.

Austin is also a great place for noncommercial media, particularly noncom radio. There is a very diverse choice of stations plus some rather odd noncoms that qualify as “only in Austin.

AUSTIN NONCOMMERCIAL RADIO DIAL

Nielsen Audio Market Rank: 35

FREQ	CALLS	FORMAT	NOVEMBER 2015 AQH %	NOVEMBER 2015 WEEKLY LISTENERS	ESTIMATED ANNUAL BUDGET
88.1	KNLE	CCM	Na	Na	See Below
88.7	KAZI	Urban Hits & Gospel	Na	Na	$310,000
89.5	KMFA	Classical	1.8	76,900	$1,406.496
90.5	KUT	NPR News	4.8	193,600	$9,413,112*
91.3	KNCT	Big Band & “Beautiful Music”	Na	Na	$387,000
91.7	KOOP (time share)	Local political & music programs	Na	Na	$273,722
91.7	KRVX (time share)	College Rock	Na	Na	32,000
92.1	KYLR	CCM	Na	Na	Na
98.9	KUTX	Triple A	1.6	97,600	$9,413,112*
100.1 & 103.1	KDRP	Americana & “Roots Rock”	0.5	45,400	$300,000

 * KUT & KUTX combined

DESCRIPTIONS OF AUSTIN NONCOMMERCIAL STATIONS

88.1 KNLE is a mystery and perhaps it is in transition. According to one of my IRS information sources – Guidestar.org says: This organization's exempt status was automatically revoked by the IRS for failure to file a Form 990, 990-EZ, 990-N, or 990-PF for 3 consecutive years. Further investigation and due diligence is warranted. The most recent information on file is from 2004 when KNLE’s annual revenue was around $315,000. The station’s website [link] is equally oblique.

 88.7 KAZI is a center of the African-American community in Austin. According KAZI’s website [link] the station “was the dream of the late Dr. John Warfield, professor of African-American Studies at the University of Texas. With generous funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and loaned tower space from LBJ-S Broadcasting, KAZI began transmitting on August 29, 1982.”  

89.5 KMFA has been the voice of classical music in Austin since 1967. KMFA [link] is known nationally for programs such as Classical Austin, Film Score Focus, and Classical Guitar Alive. 

90.5 KUT is the oldest and largest noncom FM in Austin.  It was founded in 1958 and has become one of the most successful and influential NPR News stations in the nation.  KUT, combined with Triple A sister KUTX, has annual revenue close to $10,000,000. Support from members is over $3,000,000 and underwriting brings in almost $3,100,000. Read more at [link].

91. KCNT is a radio antique – one of the last so-called Beautiful Music stations aka “elevator music.” Back in the 1960s and 1970s there were automated Beautiful Music stations in every market.  By the 1980s they began to fade away with the rise of the Soft-Rock format. If you like The Living Strings, tune in KCNT [link]. 

91.7 KOOP shares its broadcast time with KRVX. From 9am until 7pm on weekdays and 9am until 10pm on weekends KOOP [link] programs shows by local volunteers specializing in political discussions, offbeat music and public affairs for several smaller ethnic communities. 

91.7 KRVX is a student-run station broadcasting 7pm until 9am weekdays and 10pm until 9am on weekends. KRVX is also online at [link]. It promises listeners none of the hits, all of the time. 

92.1 KYLR is a satellite-fed repeater of Educational Media Foundation’s K-Love CCM format. Sort of like Walmart, every town has one.

 

98.9 KUTX, owned by KUT, signed on a few years ago and has quickly established itself as Austin’s Music Discovery station [link].

100.1 & 103.1 are part of a small consortium of stations using the name Sun Radio [link], because some of the stations operate with solar power. These spunky noncoms are beyond cool and feature alternative country and rockabilly tunes and events. Locals say it is essential Austin.