KOOP (91.7 FM) (pronounced 'co-op') is a noncommercial community radio station owned and operated by its members and staffed by volunteers. The station broadcasts in Austin, Texas on 91.7 MHz at an effective radiated power of 3 kilowatts and is licensed to Texas Educational Broadcasting Co-operative, Inc., a nonprofit organization (doing business as KOOP Radio, previously Austin Co-op Radio). The station was assigned the KOOP call letters by the Federal Communications Commission on October 27, 1993.
The 91.7 frequency is shared with KVRX, the student radio station for The University of Texas at Austin. KOOP broadcasts on 91.7 FM from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. KVRX, which is licensed to the University, broadcasts during the remaining hours. KOOP streams online during KVRX's broadcast hours. KOOP's studios and transmitter are located separately in East Austin.
Programming format
KOOP's radio format consists of 75 locally produced shows each week. Daytime programming typically consists of music programs, while late afternoon programming is usually news.
Awards
The KOOP radio station has won 19 Best of Austin awards from the Austin Chronicle from 1994 to 2006. In 1994 the station shared the Austin Music Awards honor for "Best Thing To Happen in Austin" with KVRX.
Early history
Founder
The Austin Co-op Radio project was initiated by James R. (Jim) Ellinger, whose community radio experience included social justice programming for prisoners, broadcast on KOPN-FM in Columbia, Missouri; local information programming on KAZI-FM in Austin, Texas; and engagement with NFCB (the National Federation of Community Broadcasters and AMARC (l'Association Internationale des Radiodiffuseurs Communautaires / World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters). He also worked with cooperatives in the areas of housing and food. He released a first call-out for interested persons in December 1983. The first official meeting was held March 28, 1984, and a newsletter including the minutes was published.
Locating a frequency and a tower site
In January 1984, nine individuals and five local businesses including a bookstore, a record store, and a local free weekly contributed $10 each towards a frequency search. The $140 raised was sent to Broadcast Technical Services, which by June 1984 had identified the sole full-power FM channel open in the Austin area - 91.7 FM, channel no. 218.
One obstacle in having the FCC grant a license was a 1972 treaty to counter “border blaster” stations that broadcast from Mexico, which affected the application because of the proximity to Mexico. Ellinger and the group lobbied Texas’ Sen. Lloyd Bentsen and were successful in having the treaty changed, freeing up the frequency.
Applications for new noncommercial frequencies, however, had been frozen by the FCC and were not lifted until July 1985. Although two members, Judy Douglass and Tom Donahue, formed a cable broadcasting committee, the main effort was still focused on over the air broadcasting. In July 1986, Board Members Jim Ellinger and Michelle Rosenberg signed a lease with the nonprofit Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems, located in Hornsby, Texas, for space to erect a broadcasting tower.
Formal organization
During 1985, Austin Co-op Radio was incorporated with the State of Texas, had its bylaws approved by the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, and received charitable status from the city of Austin. In January 1986, the registered name of the organization was officially changed to Texas Educational Broadcasting Co-operative, Inc. In May 1986, the Internal Revenue Service approved its 501(c)3 charitable status; in June, the state approved tax exempt status.
According to the author of the Bylaws, Hunter Ellinger:
KOOP bylaws contain two main sets of provisions to protect democracy:
1) The Community Board is to be elected annually from eight different constituencies (20% by station volunteers, 15% by individual dues-paying members, 15% by organizational dues-paying members, 10% by Hispanic community organizations, 10% by women's community organizations, 10% by youth/student community organizations, 10% by co-op community organizations, and 10% by other community organizations).
2) Each year's Community Board is to elect only one-third of the Board of Trustees. If vacancies occur, the rest of their terms are to be served by replacements chosen by the remaining Trustees (who represent several years' voters), not by the current year's Community Board.''