KUSF-X Schedule-April-16-2013.xlsx

Contrary to what you may have heard, the sale of KUSF 90.3 FM is most definitely not final!

Please donate to Save KUSF now. Thank you for your support!

May 6, 2013

April showers bring May flowers, but do you know what May flowers bring? Pilgrims! Greetings from your friends at Save KUSF. The volunteers from your favorite radio station, KUSF 90.3 FM, are still working hard to return community radio to the San Francisco airwaves.

But first, we know you’re probably worn out after having to file your taxes. Looking for a possible donation to lower next year’s bill? We’re still raising money to pay off legal bills in our fight to return to the air. We have an appeal before the Federal Communication Commission regarding the proposed sale of the KUSF 90.3 FM broadcast license from the University of San Francisco to a corporation controlled by the University of Southern California. We are still alive, but we need your help to continue the fight.

Best of all, your donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. You can click the donate link at savekusf.org or you can mail us a check. Checks should be made out to our fabulous fiscal sponsor, “Media Arts Center, San Diego,” with, “Friends of KUSF” on the memo line. Mail them to:

Friends of KUSF
P.O. Box 170697
San Francisco, CA 94117-0697

Take us out to the ballgame!

It’s the second SFCR Day at the Oakland A’s. Join us as the A’s take on the Mariners. Not only that, it’s Beerfest! Tickets are $32 and we get half the money! This really is a fun day and for the awesome cause of helping KUSF-in-Exile pay some important bills and all in the name of community radio. Last year we had a blast – those Seattle pitchers probably still remember us!

To order tickets, contact Damin Esper at 415-563-7248 or damnesp  AT aol.com. Tickets may be purchased by check or by PayPal. Please include a working phone number so we can call you back.

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February 7, 2013

Hey everybody, hope you had a great holiday season! We here at Save KUSF are still working to return community radio to the San Francisco airwaves. It has now been two years since the proposed sale of KUSF 90.3-FM was announced by the University of San Francisco. Since then, we have accomplished a lot – much of it thanks to your generous donations. We began the legal process to fight the proposed sale, a process that is still ongoing with an appeal before the five members of the Federal Communications Commission. We created from scratch a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit, San Francisco Community Radio, which will one day hold a broadcast license in San Francisco.

And we’ve put together tons of fun benefits to raise money for our cause. Speaking of benefits, we have a couple coming up next week. On Tuesday, Feb. 12, the Hemlock Tavern (1131 Polk Street, San Francisco) is hosting Save KUSF Benefit/Damin’s Birthday Party. The Yes Go’s – awesome local garage band featuring Sophie V. of the VKTMS; The Krells – another awesome local garage band featuring members of The Wendy Kroys, The Get Offs, The Womentors and The Vaticans; and the debut of Bellyfruit – featuring members of Pet The Bunny, The Graves Brothers Deluxe and The Murderachis. The show will be great, it’s for a great cause, and what else are you going to do on a Tuesday night?

January 3, 2013

The fight to save KUSF 90.3 FM is not over. We have an appeal of the proposed sale before the five-member Federal Communications Commission and are awaiting a ruling. Thanks to your generous donations, we were able to prompt a nearly-unprecedented investigation of the proposed sale by the FCC staff, which uncovered several violations of FCC rules. However, the staff ultimately entered into a consent decree with USF and Classical Public Radio Network and allowed the sale to proceed. Our lawyers believe there were several major issues with the consent decree and centered our appeal around them. Please consider donating to help us return your community radio station to the San Francisco airwaves.

December 31, 2012 FCC Affirms Decision to Allow Release of Privilege Log from KUSF Letter of Inquiry

IT’S LEGAL TEAM CRUNCH TIME!

Please donate now. Thank you for your support!

Our FCC appeal is in, and we need to raise $20,000 right now to cover our current and ongoing legal fees. We know many of you have given generously to fund the fight to return KUSF 90.3 FM to the air in San Francisco, and we appreciate it more than you can imagine. It is thanks to you that we’ve battled this far, but we need your help today to continue taking the fight to those who want to kill community radio in San Francicso.

Friends of KUSF is appealing to the full Federal Communications Commission the June 5th decision of their Media Bureau to approve the sale of the KUSF 90.3 FM broadcast license from the University of San Francisco to Classical Public Radio Network (CPRN). Did you know that CPRN is controlled by the University of Southern California? In a closed-door negotiation, USF and CPRN agreed to pay the government $50,000 for breaking FCC rules. Friends of KUSF and others Petitioners to stop the sale were excluded from the negotiations, and in fact were kept in the dark by the FCC. Friends of KUSF lawyers Peter Franck and Alan Korn said, “We are profoundly disappointed to learn that a silent agreement was reached between the FCC, the University of San Francisco and Classical Public Radio Network, LLC. The so-called ‘Consent Decree’ excuses USF’s and CPRN’s violation of FCC rules with a $50,000 fine. This fine is less than a slap on the wrist when compared to the $3.8 million proposed purchase price, high-priced Washington D.C. attorneys’ fees, and other exorbitant costs spent on this flawed transaction.”
The media bureau in their short, two-page decision, completely ignored most of the objections and public broadcasting policy issues which Friends of KUSf and the other Petitions argued. Our lawyers tell us that we have good grounds for asking the full five-member Commission to review their staff’s action.

WHAT HAPPENED?
In a secret three-way deal with media conglomerate Entercom and the University of Southern California (USC), the University of San Francisco (USF) entered into a contract to sell the KUSF 90.3 FM license to the detriment of our local community. The sale was announced on Tuesday, January 18, 2011, when the station was abruptly shut down.

This action does not serve the public interest, and does not contribute to diversity and localism on the airwaves. We are fighting to stop the sale of KUSF 90.3 FM to USC.

For 34 years, KUSF San Francisco defined free-form local radio that reflected the city’s unique heart and soul. Famous for featuring diverse cultural programs as well as new underground music, KUSF was one of the first radio stations in the U.S. to play punk rock, and also served a dozen different language groups. An irreplaceable source for community news, information, music and culture, KUSF reflected San Francisco’s diversity, earning the moniker “Your Cultural Oasis.”

You can help us fight this travesty by generously donating to Friends of KUSF, while our lawyers petition the FCC to block the sale. Help restore an essential voice of the San Francisco Bay Area to the air. Any amount will benefit. Please donate now. Thank you for your support!