The ASUU Senate unanimously voted last night to fund KUTE, the U’s student-run radio station, with the $4,500 it needs to resume its online stream.
“I think it went really well,” said Nate Terry, a senior in political science. “Now we have to elect a station manager and move on from there.”
KUTE needs the $4,500 to pay the Recording Industry Association of America copyright fees it owes. Last year, the Copyright Royalty Board decided that noncommercial radio stations must pay the RIAA fees for every year they streamed copyrighted music online.
With the funding approved, the Student Broadcast Council will accept applications from students interested in leading the restructuring of KUTE.
“I’m extremely satisfied with the direction KUTE is going,” said Jamis Johnson, a student working to save the station and a sophomore in computer science. “I can see the vision (for KUTE) coagulating.”
Senator Erica Andersen and Assembly Representative Lauren Mangelson presented joint bill 14 along with members of the KUTE student committee and KUTE Assistant General Manager Jake Fawson.
The meeting did not run as smoothly as Tuesday’s General Assembly meeting. Several senators questioned whether KUTE deserves the funding.
Dan Brinton, the senator for the College of Law, said KUTE should have known that they need to get permission to stream copyrighted songs online. The KUTE student committee told the senators that there was not any wrongdoing on KUTE’s part, but rather the Copyright Royalty Board decided online radio stations must pay back fees for all copyrighted music streamed in the past.
Associated Students of the University of Utah senators extended the questioning period several times to learn more about KUTE’s struggles and to understand why the student-run radio station needs to pay $4,500 in fees.
Keith Yowell, a senior in mass communication and member of the KUTE student committee, told senators the station is too vital a resource to let go down. Without the funding KUTE would shut its doors forever, she said.
Members of the student committee emphasized the fact that they plan to improve KUTE’s online presence and plan to offer podcasts, forums, blogs, RSS feeds and mobile updates.
The students said they are rewriting the KUTE handbook and are considering changing the station’s name to reflect their new vision for the student-run radio station.
The student committee is creating a new management hierarchy to better suit KUTE’s new vision. The students stressed the importance of KUTE as a laboratory for the more than 1,078 students enrolled in the department of communication, as well as students in a variety of fields.
Jennifer Buhler, the senator from the College of Education, urged her fellow senators to pass the bill so KUTE would not disappear and pointed to the student committee’s new plan for KUTE as evidence of student commitment.
Jessica Elder, the College of Social and Behavioral Science senator, said she wanted KUTE to resume its online stream, but wanted to make sure students’ money was going to good use. Others wanted more details for KUTE’s budget for the next fiscal year, but KUTE said it would not have that information until after the Student Broadcast Council meets with the future station manager.
“I appreciate the Senate’s willingness to get into the details because it’s their job and it’s the students’ money,” said Jake Fawson, KUTE assistant general manager. “I feel exhilarated that ASUU is now officially behind KUTE,” Yowell said. “It’s not us vs. them. Now we have their backing, we have the responsibility to follow through and it’s much more of a campus-wide thing with ASUU’s backing.”
KUTE has been in financial trouble since ASUU suspended the station’s funding in 2006. At that time, most members of ASUU felt the money, which could reach a maximum of $15,000 a year, was not justified given the relatively low number of listeners.
The Student Broadcasting Council will accept station manager applications until April 2.
For an application, e-mail [email protected] interested in working for KUTE can e-mail Jamis Johnson at [email protected].