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By 1983, Earth Station was only a memory and several people got serious about making community radio a reality. One member of the group, Jan Murdock, had a friend named Wendy Brooks, who had written the original grant to fund the start of KOTO in Telluride back in the early 1970’s. Wendy helped with the original NTIA/PTFP grant request needed to start KBUT. With $600 out of the pockets of Jan and another radio enthusiast, Jim Michael, the grant was written and the wheels were set in motion. The original founders of KBUT included, besides Jan and Jim, Kathleen Mary, W. Mitchell, Cathy Benson, Candy Shepard and Elizabeth Lowry-Burton. Other early KBUT people included Bob Brazell, Pat Bovee, Lynda Jackson Petito, Susan Allred, Don Mancini, Mark Scofield and Carolyn Avery. John Morton helped with engineering in the early stages. Grant writing, complicated FCC licensing and fundraising for an unproven dream were all difficult endeavors for the founders of KBUT. The organizers kept the vision of public radio in front of the community with many original fundraising ideas. Some of them included a sixties party, a home tour of the "unique and bizarre" dwellings of Crested Butte and the first Motown Night, an annual fundraiser that continues today as Soul Train Night. The first staff members included Dana Dabagia, Manager and Jim Michael, Program Director. Each was paid $1,000 per month. When KBUT came on the air December 20, 1986 the Board of Directors included Candy Shepard, Susan Allred, Don Mancini and Bonnie Chlipala. Once on the air, however, it became obvious that there were yet more difficult challenges to be faced. Programming choices, personality differences and a search to find an identity in the Crested Butte community all proved a struggle for the fledgling station. From the beginning, the station promised NPR (National Public Radio) news programming to the KBUT listening audience. Financial constraints, including an NTIA/PTFP grant repayment of $17,000, kept things running at a bare minimum and NPR financially out of reach. The average budget for the first five years of operation was less than $35,000 a year. In late 1992, KBUT became interconnected to PRSS (the Public Radio Satellite System), and on January 4, 1993 KBUT began broadcasting NPR’s "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered". Making good on the long-promised NPR news programming gave the station credibility with many people who previously did not offer support. In early 1994, the KBUT Board of Directors decided it was time to plan a course for the future, and developed the first three-year plan with the guidance of Lynn Chadwick, then the Executive Director of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. This document detailed ambitious plans to extend KBUT's broadcast signal to all of the upper Gunnison River Valley, including the City of Gunnison and the community of Almont. After two years of patience, frustration and hard work, along with technical and financial support from the Gunnison County Metropolitan Recreation District, two new translators were turned on in June 1996. KBUT is heard at 89.9 FM in Gunnison and at 94.9 FM in Jack’s Cabin. In July 1997, KBUT Board and Staff launched the station’s first capital campaign. After eleven years of broadcasting, it was clearly time for some improvements. KBUT’s equipment was old and obsolete with failure culminating in the transmitter literally going up in smoke. Additionally, KBUT’s 600 sq. ft. home was bursting at the seams. KBUT Staff and DJ’s dreamed of moving on from their home above the municipal bus barn and next to the sewage treatment plant. The goals of this capital campaign, called “Radio 2000: Building Better Community Radio,” included relocating the main transmitter to improve signal reception, remodeling a new home and replacing and updating the broadcast equipment, including conversion to digital technology. Once again, much of the necessary funding came from the Federal Government through a grant from the NTIA/PTFP. Additional funding was provided by individuals, private foundations, fundraising events and local government sources. The Town of Crested Butte was instrumental to the success of Radio 2000 by donating space in the former Crested Butte Middle School for KBUT’s new home and contributing major funding. The relocation of KBUT’s transmitter to Sunlight Ridge in the summer of 1999 precluded the need for a translator in Mt. Crested Butte. August 22, 1999 was the final broadcast from the bus barn, and the next morning, August 23, KBUT signed on from the incredible new studios. KBUT’s new broadcast equipment, made possible by funding from the capital campaign, included a digital automation system, which expanded KBUT’s service and improved the audio quality. In June, 2001 KBUT’s broadcast was increased from 18 to 24 hours a day. The station is automated overnight from midnight (1:00 a.m. on the weekends) to 6 a.m. In June 2004, KBUT again expanded service by offering an Internet stream of the station’s live broadcast. The unique programming of KBUT could suddenly be heard around the world at www.kbut.org. KBUT’s netcast is enjoyed by radio enthusiasts, former residents, second homeowners, repeat visitors and even local listeners who experienced poor quality of the broadcast signal. There is currently a nice blend of old and new at KBUT. Many of the DJ’s have been around for a long time including three original DJ’s who have been hosting shows for the past 20 years. Many more programmers are relatively new to the airwaves. KBUT relies on approximately 75 volunteer DJ’s, who program an eclectic mix of music. KBUT offers ongoing opportunities for volunteers to become involved with the station. A DJ training course is offered 4 to 6 times a year, and there is often a waiting list. KBUT's programming remains predominantly local. Volunteer DJ’s provide an eclectic mix of jazz, blues, rock, reggae, folk, classical, bluegrass, country, hip-hop, funk, world and more. Other locally produced programs include local news, sports and public affairs. KBUT also airs “Capitol Coverage” which provides daily reports from the Colorado State Legislature while in session. “Nature Notes,” produced in the summer months and hosted by scientists at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory and “Outside/In” hosted by Roger Kahn and featuring discussion with special guests covering the social, political and cultural topics of the times. A selection of nationally syndicated programming rounds out KBUT’s broadcast schedule. KBUT has been affiliated with NPR (National Public Radio) since 1993, and the station re-affiliated with PRI (Public Radio International) in the fall of 2000. KBUT became a Pacifica affiliate in the spring of 2003 and joined American Public Media in the fall of 2004 when they split from PRI. Today, KBUT listeners are able to depend on a qualified and committed body of volunteers and staff. The Board of Directors hires and evaluates the general manager, maintains fiscal accountability of the organization and determines the long range goals for the station. The Staff executes the plan to achieve the goals and objectives of the station and supervises the volunteer programmers. The Community Advisory Board reviews the station’s programming, policies and service to its listeners. KBUT continues to survive and thrive thanks to the strong support of the listeners, members and underwriters. KBUT broadcasts 24 hours a day at 250 watts from 90.3 FM in Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte, 89.9 FM in Gunnison and 94.9 FM in Almont. KBUT webcasts at www.kbut.org. There is a paid staff of 3 full-time and 3 part-time positions. KBUT is “Community Radio for the Gunnison Valley.” |
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