Back On The Dial

After five-year hiatus, beloved Rice University radio station returns to FM dial

KTRU Rice Radio will return to radio as 96.1 FM on October 2.

Photo by Ian Wells

After five years off the radio dial, Rice University's popular college radio station KTRU Rice Radio will return to FM on Friday (October 2).

Listeners located within approximately a five-mile radius of the school, stretching from 610 South to the Buffalo Bayou, will be able to enjoy the university's station on 96.1 FM. After spending four years pursuing a new FCC-approved FM license — an effort spearheaded by Rice students, alumni, staff and community volunteers — the station will be able to broadcast on FM from an antenna placed atop Rice Stadium.

"Returning to the air is truly turning the page to a new chapter in KTRU's history," said one of KTRU's music librarians, George Barrow, in a statement. "We're returning to our roots with the on-campus, low-power transmitter.

"Not only is this an important step in KTRU's story, but it's also extremely important for the Houston music community, since no station on the FM dial right now focuses on exposing local and emerging talent quite like KTRU does. It's amazing to be a part of this organization during one of its most important transitions."

The station will also continue to broadcast live on the Internet through its website, as well as apps like i-Heart Radio and Tune-In.

The station's first FM broadcast day coincides with College Radio Day, a celebration of college radio stations across the country, and KTRU DJs will play a varied array of music combined with live appearances from special guests.

Founded in 1967, the university's station is highly regarded for its eclectic programming and focuses on noncommercial music. Showcasing everything from old school blues and avant-garde jazz to experimental noise and black metal, the station also shows a strong appreciation for local artists, with whom they have a unique open-door policy.

In 2010, university officials announced plans to sell the station's FM frequency, broadcast tower and license to the University of Houston for $9.5 million, outraging Rice students and the station's fans alike. In spite of many protests, the sale was approved by UH's Board of Regents in August 2010 and KTRU broadcasted its final FM transmission in April 2011.

Ironically, the University of Houston — which launched Houston Public Media's all-classical station on the newly acquired 91.7 KUHA in May 2011 as part of a reorganization plan — announced last month that the institution plans to sell the FM channel and move the station's programming to 88.7 HD-2.

The official call signs for the new Rice radio station are KBLT-LP since the KTRU call signs are currently licensed to a noncommercial station in La Harpe, Kansas, but the station will continue to be referred to as KTRU.

The station is celebrating the launch of its new signal with a free concert — featuring local artists Robert Ellis, Buxton and Deep Cuts — at the Grand Hall at the Rice Memorial Center on Thursday at 8 pm.

music

income news

This is the income it takes to be middle class in Houston in 2026

Photo by Dennis Lamberth on Unsplash

Who needs a raise?

A new study tracking the upper and lower thresholds for middle class households across the nation's largest cities has revealed Houstonians have to make at least a few grand more than last year to maintain their middle class status this year.

According to SmartAsset's just-released annual report, "What It Takes to Be Middle Class in America – 2026 Study," Houston households need to make anywhere from $42,907 to $128,722 to qualify as middle class earners this year.

Compared to 2025, Houstonians need to make $1,153 more per year to meet the minimum threshold for a middle class status, whereas the upper bound has stretched $3,448 higher. The median income for a Houston household in 2024 was $64,361, the study added.

SmartAsset's experts used 2024 Census Bureau median household income data for the 100 biggest U.S. cities and all 50 states and determined middle class income ranges by using a variation of Pew Research's definition of a middle class household, stating the salary range is "two-thirds to double the median U.S. salary."

In the report's ranking of the U.S. cities with the highest household incomes needed to maintain a middle class status, Houston ranked No. 80.

In the report's state-by-state comparison, Texas has the 24th largest middle class income range. Overall, Texas households need to make between $53,147 and $159,442 to be labeled "middle class" in 2026. For additional context, the median income for a Texas household in 2024 came out to $79,721.

"Often, the expectations that come with the term 'middle class' include reaching home ownership, raising kids, the comfort of modest emergency funds and retirement savings, and the occasional splurge or vacation," the report said. "And as the median household income varies widely across the U.S. depending on the local job market, housing market, infrastructure and other factors, so does swing the bounds on what constitutes a middle class income in America."

What it takes to be middle class elsewhere around Texas
Two Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs – Frisco and Plano – have some of the highest middle class income ranges in the country for 2026, SmartAsset found.

Frisco households need to make between $96,963 and $290,888 to qualify as middle class this year, which is the third-highest middle class income range nationwide.

Plano's middle class income range is the eighth highest nationally, with households needing to make between $77,267 and $231,802 for the designation.

This is the salary it takes to be a middle class earner in other Texas cities for 2026:

No. 28 – Austin: between $60,287 and $180,860
No. 40 – Irving: between $56,566 and $169,698
No. 44 – Fort Worth: between $55,002 and $165,006
No. 57 – Garland: between $50,531 and $151,594
No. 60 – Arlington: between $49,592 and $148,77
No. 61 – Dallas: between $49,549 and $148,646
No. 73 – Corpus Christi: between $44,645 and $133,934
No. 77 – San Antonio: between $44,117 and $132,352
No. 83 – Lubbock: between $41,573 and $124,720
No. 84 – Laredo: between $41,013 and $123,038
No. 89 – El Paso: between $39,955 and $119,864

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