KVUT 99.7, the University of Texas at Tyler’s non-commercial radio station known for carrying NPR programming, has shut down its operations. KVUT began broadcasting in May 2021 and officially launched in September of that year.
It featured NPR content, local stories, and eclectic jazz, serving the Tyler-Longview area. KVUT’s website and social media pages have all been shut down or removed.
The university says the end of KVUT was a strategic decision aimed at refocusing resources on enhancing educational opportunities within the university, particularly the school’s Department of Communication.
With KVUT ceasing broadcasts, the nearest NPR affiliates are Red River Radio’s KTYK in Shreveport, LA and KERA in Dallas.
Neil Gray, UT Tyler College of Arts and Sciences Dean, explained, “Reinvesting in our students is crucial for fostering the next generation of communicators, journalists and media professionals. By reallocating resources, we can enhance our curriculum, provide cutting-edge technology and create hands-on learning experiences that prepare our students for the rapidly evolving media landscape.”
NPR affiliates have faced troubles in recent months as listenership and funding drops.
Los Angeles’ LAist and KCRW as well as the Bay Area’s KQED faced buyouts and layoffs. Boston’s WBUR, Chicago Public Radio, WAMU in Washington DC, New York Public Radio, and CapRadio in Sacramento have also experienced buyouts and layoffs within the past year.
This is also saddled with the recent allegations from former NPR senior editor Uri Berliner about a lack of viewpoint diversity at the public broadcaster’s national level, leading to a Congressional investigation currently being carried out by House Republicans.
Berliner argues this imbalance has caused a left-leaning bias in NPR’s coverage, particularly on topics such as the origins of COVID-19, the Mueller report, and the Hunter Biden laptop story. He noted that NPR’s newsroom has many registered Democrats and no registered Republicans, contributing to this perceived bias.
