A Look Back at the Beginnings of KRTU From One of Its Founders

Just like Trinity University, KRTU has lived by the value of enduring excellence, long before it even made its first broadcast on January 23, 1976.

Jim Blakemore '77, one of the founders of KRTU, made his way to the Department of Communication after dabbling in business and computer science. Blakemore had been a photographer in high school for the yearbook and newspaper, and looking to continue with photography, he discovered that it was housed in the communication department. He found a home there when he discovered its impressive supply of the latest technology.

“I’m a gadget guy,” Blakemore explains. “When I was in the communications center, I saw they had all of these big machines, and I was like, ‘Whoa, this is going to be fun!’”

Blakemore describes the communication department at the time as more of a quasi trade school combined with an academic department because so much of the curriculum was focused on experiential learning using broadcast-quality equipment.

“When I was a student, Trinity University’s communication department had better equipment than the local television stations. The faculty required a level of commitment to quality that was the same as any television station,” Blakemore says.

In addition to helping start KRTU, Jim Blakemore worked in Campus Publications. He is pictured here as part of the Mirage staff.

Bill Hays, the chair of the Department of Communication at the time, and Bernard Waterman, president of Waterman Broadcasting, the parent company of local commercial radio stations, decided that Trinity needed a radio station. Emilio Nicolas Jr. ’75, director of the Student Activity Board, organized benefit events to raise interest and money for the new station. Waterman donated funds, equipment, and legal aid to help the station get off the ground and on the air. According to Blakemore, Waterman also allowed Trinity students to go live on the air of one of his radio stations on Sunday nights to give them broadcasting experience.

While the students eagerly awaited authorization from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to take KRTU live, they stayed busy, literally building the station from the ground up. Blakemore remembers pounding the nails, pulling the wires, and hanging “ugly green carpeting on the walls for soundproofing.” Once the studio was built, the students ran practice drills and performed as if they were on the air so that they could be ready to flip the switch when the time came.

The moment the students had waited for finally arrived when Western Union informed them they had a telegram from the FCC. Serendipitously, Ron Zimmerman, KRTU’s first news director, was already downtown and was able to pick up the telegram. He brought the broadcasting license back to Trinity, and the students tacked it on the studio wall, turned the transmitter on, and started broadcasting.

“We had such a high level of commitment from the students that we were always on air. We had a rotation, and for a long time we were live 24 hours a day,” Blakemore recalls. “We held ourselves to a level of quality that would be expected from any commercial radio station.”

In the station’s early days, KRTU featured a variety of genres, including classical, country, and rock, supplemented by news reporting and in-studio performances. In 2002, KRTU adopted jazz as its primary music format.

“Jazz just fundamentally appeals to everybody. It cuts across all walks of life, all age groups, and different socioeconomic groups,” Blakemore says.

In a time when the number of jazz radio stations across the nation is steadily decreasing, KRTU keeps jazz relevant within a modern context by preserving its history and emphasizing its significance, contemporary value, and diversity.

KRTU maintains one of the largest in-studio collections of jazz recordings in the country and is a crucial anchor of the South Texas Jazz community, ensuring all can enjoy and learn about the power and diversity of jazz.

“I constantly talk to and encourage the KRTU staff to be bigger than you really are. Be a force to be reckoned with,” Blakemore says.

Unlike most other college radio stations, KRTU is deeply rooted in its city and the surrounding region. As the station grows, Blakemore wants to see how it can continue to foster strong community connections.

“KRTU is a pillar of the community, not just because it is Trinity’s radio station, but because it provides a level of support for the arts and jazz in San Antonio way beyond just being a college radio station. I don’t know very many college radio stations that have had the impact that KRTU does, and it all goes back to working towards getting bigger and better. There’s no such thing as doing too much for the community,” Blakemore says.

As KRTU approaches its 50th anniversary in 2026, Blakemore wants to ensure the future of the station and build upon its strong legacy of innovation and success. Thanks to a generous $25,000 gift from Blakemore, KRTU has announced a matching challenge that doubles the impact of donations to the station.

“Every dollar contributed will have double the impact in supporting KRTU. It takes a lot of money to run a radio station, and I’m thankful for the support of Trinity and the listeners,” Blakemore explains. “I’m very proud of what I helped build. I’m very proud of the fact that it’s recognized as one of the top jazz radio stations in the country. I believe we’ll continue to see the positive effect KRTU has on Trinity’s reputation and for jazz in general for years to come.”