Change partners and dance

Originally published in Current, Feb. 26, 1990
By Richard Barbieri

For more than 18 months beginning in 1988, station manager William E. Hurt attempted a politically tricky merger of two public radio stations in northern Colorado.

Hurt, 47, might not have expected the subsequent events: The license switch failed; the two stations — KUNC-FM in Greeley and KCSU-FM in Fort Collins — remain licensed to different universities. Hurt's position as general manager of KUNC was later eliminated.

But Hurt, who worked at KUNC for more than 22 years, landed on his feet. He is now general manager of KCSU.

"I'm here as opposed to there," Hurt said from his new post at KCSU, laughing. "It wasn't planned that way."

According to Hurt, the story begins in July 1988, when the University of Northern Colorado — licensee of KUNC — assessed fundraising efforts at the institution, including the radio station. As a result, Hurt said KUNC's development director and subscription manager began reporting to the university's director of news and publications--not to Hurt. Eleven months later, the position of general manager of KUNC, which Hurt held, was eliminated.

Tom Barbour, news and publications director for the university, said the move was made to save $53,000 in the $507,000 KUNC budget. "Our president has a term for it. He calls it administrative consolidation," Barbour said. Barbour now manages KUNC as part of his duties, in addition to overseeing university public relations and publications.

Hurt started his new job Jan. 8 as general manager of KCSU, which is smaller than KUNC but by some accounts is on the rise.

	.	To Current's home page
	.	Later news: Denver-based network bids for KUNC, local Friends group may counter-offer, 2001.

Web page posted Feb. 28, 2001
Current
The newspaper about public television and radio
in the United States
A service of Current Publishing Committee, Takoma Park, Md.
E-mail: webcurrent.org
301-270-7240
Copyright 2001