FIRE AT ICONIC TEXAS CAFÉ TAKES KOWO-FM OFF THE AIR • “NEWSLINK” BITES THE DIGITAL DUST

Image courtesy of KXAN-TV

About 10 miles southwest of Austin, the Cypress Creek Café used to be the home of low-power KOWO 104.1 FM. 

All of that changed on Monday (5/29) when a fire destroyed the historic café and KOWO’s office and equipment.

According to local news reports, investigators say the fire started around 2am in the kitchen of the Cypress Creek Cafe and adjoining Buzzard Bar. 

The fire started in the kitchen but the exact cause is not known. The building is a total loss. No one was injured in the fire. However, two cats and one dog are missing.

Winberley Texan Radio, the licensee of KOWO, has requested temporary authority to be off the air until further notice. 

KOWO is one of several small Austin-area noncoms that repeat programming from roots rock Sun Radio.  Sun has established a fundraising campaign to get KOWO back on the air, according to this post on the Sun Radio website [link]:

 

Sun Radio is devastated to hear about Cypress Creek Cafe this morning… Randy & Trish of Cypress Creek Cafe have been beyond supportive of our station going all the way back to our inception.

Our Wimberley affiliate, KOWO 104.1FM, is currently off the air with their antenna/signal originating from Cypress Creek Café. All of their equipment was damaged by the fire. Sun Radio will keep everyone up to date with the condition of Cypress Creek Cafe as well as when our affiliate KOWO 104.1FM will be back on the air.

NEWSLINK SIGNS OFF

Newslink, one of the first public media online bulletin boards is gone as of the end of May. For many years Newslink was the place for public radio journalists to find job openings and chatter about newsroom issues. It was established in the mid 1990s by Nancy Fushan of Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) on behalf of the Public Radio News Directors (PRNDI).

After Fushan left MPR, Euan Kerr
became Newslink’s moderator. Kerr posted the news on Newslink last week:

Euan Kerr


It is with a mixture of sadness and relief that I write to let you know Newslink will ride off into the digital sunset at the end of this month.

For the last few years the MPR IT folks have dropped by every once in a while to ask whether it is still being used, and I have always said yes. This last time, when I learned we would have to move servers, with a certain amount of hassle, and seeing the very low traffic on the site, I realize it makes sense to shut up shop.

Newslink was set up under the auspices of PRNDI a good 20 years ago, maybe longer, by Nancy Fushan and others as a way of facilitating discussion between Public Radio news people without the overwhelming background noise on some of the PubRadio list servs. I think its been useful, having heard about people who have found advice, and occasionally jobs in its missives.

I'd like to thank everyone who has been involved, and I hope our paths cross in the real world sooner rather than later. All the best, and keep up the good and important work you all do! Euan Kerr


KEN SAYS: Thank you Euan and the folks at MPR for providing this valuable communication link.  Public radio is better today because of your efforts.