Community Contributes More Than $1 Million to Complete the KUT Public Media Studios
AUSTIN, Texas — May 11, 2012 — KUT 90.5, Austin’s community supported public radio station, raised more than $1 million during its five-day on-air capital campaign, which ended at 11 p.m. today, to complete construction on the KUT Public Media Studios, a new space that will become a daily destination for robust discussion, unique live music performances and cultural experiences.
Thanks to $350,000 in matching funds from KUT Leadership Circle members, KUT Advisory Board members and business sponsors, KUT was able to meet its fund raising goal.
This week’s on-air campaign marked the first time KUT reached out to listeners for support in constructing the new facility. During the past three years the campaign has raised funds from foundations, businesses and individuals to construct the $9.8 million two-story, 20,000-square-foot space on the northeast corner of Dean Keeton and Guadalupe.
“The new KUT facility will invite the community into the station on a daily basis and participate in unique and meaningful experiences,” said Stewart Vanderwilt, director and general manager of KUT 90.5. “In the spirit of our new facility, this week’s fund raising campaign was a communitywide effort — from the individuals, families and businesses that contributed, to the artists and newsmakers who recorded campaign messages, to the volunteers who answered phones, to the vendors that donated food.
“KUT would not be preparing to move into a state-of-the-art facility were it not for the longtime, broad-based community support it receives on a daily basis,” Vanderwilt said.
More than 1,200 individuals and families will have their name listed on the KUT donor wall located at the heart of the station in recognition of their gifts of $500 and more. About 2,000 people contributed to the on-air campaign with gifts ranging from $25 to $5,000.
KUT thanks the many local food vendors that donated food for the nearly 200 volunteers that manned the phones during the on-air portion of the campaign: Austin’s Pizza, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Einstein’s Bros Bagels, Fricano’s Deli, Ken’s Doughnuts & Pastries, Kerbey Lane Café, Mmmpanadas, Noodles & Company, and Smoothie King.
The KUT Public Media Studios, which will open to the public in the fall with a series of community-focused events, will emphasize collaboration and increase community interaction by bringing together creative and editorial production, and delivery of content in one interactive space. Some of the features of the LEED-designed KUT space include:
- Studio 1A — one of the most famous recording and broadcasting studios in Austin — will emerge from its rarely seen basement location to become Performance Studio 1A, a 72-seat, glass-walled space that will incorporate the community into some of KUT’s 200 annual in-studio performances.
- The street-level plaza and outdoor stage will be connected by a performance lawn and provide a view into Performance Studio 1A.
- The Community Engagement Room will promote daily interaction between KUT and the public via forums, workshops and events.
- The producer commons will be an open and technologically advanced work area that brings together—for the first time—KUT’s newsroom, on-air hosts, music producers, online producers and interns to collaborate.
- Each studio, control room and producer desktop will be networked together—making every corner of the station part of a powerful integrated media production facility.
- The facilities will more than double KUT’s current capacity to provide professional-level student internships, offering critical hands-on education on the role of responsible journalism.
- Two on-air control rooms — located on the same floor as the producers — will enable KUT to broadcast content on multiple channels.
- The Robin Shivers green room will provide a welcoming and comfortable space for artists, authors, scholars, politicians and newsmakers to prepare for their appearances.
- A 300-seat university auditorium accessible to KUT to host lectures, performances and public discussions of critical community issues.
The KUT Public Media Studios are part of The University of Texas at Austin’s College of Communication Belo Center for New Media, which will have its public dedication in November.
About KUT
For more than 50 years, KUT 90.5, listener-supported public radio from Austin, Texas, has striven to be the most trusted radio source for news and music in Central Texas. A founding member of NPR, KUT established a news department in 2002. Since then, KUT News has won more than 100 state, national and international awards for journalistic excellence. KUT is nationally known for playing a unique blend of handpicked, homegrown and uniquely Austin music.
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Contact: Erin Geisler (512) 475-8071
