Citing lingering questions directed at his office, Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa tabled the approval of KUT’s $6 million purchase of KXBT’s 98.9 at the Board of Regent’s meeting on Wednesday. By doing this, Cigarroa has temporarily, not indefinitely, postponed the board’s decision.
The Board of Regents indicated in an agenda released last week that they would vote at their July 11 meeting on whether to approve the purchase of KXBT’s classic hits station. Had the regents voted to buy the station, KUT would have moved their musical programming to 98.9 and used 90.5 for news and talk only. Cigarroa requested to table the matter, saying his office had received a number of questions about the purchase.
Following the meeting, President William Powers Jr. said he could not provide additional details, but he was available to answer any questions Cigarroa might have. Spokespeople for the UT System were unavailable for comment.
Should the board approve the decision in the future, KUT will purchase 98.9 using money from UT’s unrestricted Unexpended Plant Fund cash reserves. The agenda said no student fees or tuition will be used in purchasing the radio station.