Broad community protests and a supervisor resolution follow USF’s sudden sale of KUSF 90.3

Dozens of volunteers, musicians and listeners addressed the Board of Supervisors Tuesday to protest the University of San Francisco’s abrupt sale of KUSF’s 90.3 FM frequency to an out‑of‑region broadcaster and to ask the board to back a resolution urging the university and federal regulators to rescind the deal or give the local community a chance to purchase the license.

A supervisor said he was submitting a resolution, cosponsored by Supervisors John Avalos and Eric Marr, that calls attention to the sale and asks the university and the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider and to provide community groups an opportunity to acquire the frequency. The sponsor described KUSF as a long‑running noncommercial resource that airs multilingual and culturally diverse programming and said the sale to a Los Angeles‑area broadcaster was a “travesty” that disenfranchised a decades‑old community resource.

More than two dozen members of the public testified in a nearly three‑hour public‑comment block. Speakers included long‑time volunteers, program hosts, music directors and listeners who described KUSF as an essential outlet for local music, multicultural programming in more than ten languages, and public‑service programming for seniors and people with disabilities. Several community members said the station’s sudden removal from the FM dial disrupted public‑service programming and eliminated a training resource for students and volunteers.

Comments described KUSF as a “hub for local music and arts,” a training ground for students and volunteers, and a rare broadcast outlet for programs in Cantonese, Chinese, Polish, Turkish, Brazilian Portuguese and several other languages. Several speakers said they believed the deal was negotiated without adequate community notice; others urged the board to help the community file petitions with the FCC or to pressure USF to negotiate a sale that gives local groups first refusal.

Volunteers described last week’s events as sudden and confusing: several said they were told programming would continue but found the FM signal cut and their shows taken off the air without notice. Multiple speakers asked the board to press USF for greater transparency and for time to organize a community response that could include a community purchase of the license.

Several supervisors signaled support for the community. Supervisor Marr said the board should call for more transparency and repeated his personal support for preserving community radio. Supervisor McRae (sponsor of the resolution) asked the university and the FCC to “rescind this decision and become more of a partner to problem‑solving” so community stakeholders could pursue alternatives.

Board action and next steps: the sponsoring supervisor said a resolution would be circulated at the close of the meeting and that the board would consider formal measures calling on USF and federal regulators to provide community groups an opportunity to respond. No formal vote on a board resolution took place at this meeting.

Context: Commenters pointed to the station’s 33‑year history of free‑format and community programming and to the station’s role as a publicity engine for local venues, record labels and artists. Several speakers said the sale symbolized a broader trend of consolidation that risks diminishing local culture and training opportunities for students.

The board did not vote on any ordinance or resolution related to the KUSF sale during the meeting, but multiple supervisors said they intended to press for hearings, greater transparency from USF and possible FCC petitions from city officials or community groups.