SAN ANTONIO – One of the few remaining jazz radio stations in Texas, much less the country, is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
KRTU is a non-profit, public radio station run by students at Trinity University.
“Fifty years ago, they were the ones who volunteered to be on the air from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., even though there were classes. I think some of them may have skipped some classes," joked former KRTU General Manager, Dr. William Christ.
KRTU launched in 1976 with 50 watts of power, enough to reach from the Trinity University campus north to Loop 410.
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Now, KRTU broadcasts at 30,000 watts to reach the entire city and, of course, the world, using streaming capabilities.
“I grew up in here. I was 19 when I first sat in that chair and went live for the first time,” said Bria Woods, who received her start on KRTU as a Trinity University student.
Woods now works for the station as content director.
“KRTU means art; it means accessible art. KRTU is so much more than just telling you the song that you heard, what album it was on,” said Woods. “We go a little bit deeper, and we like to tell you why this recording matters or the story behind when this artist was writing this music.”
But don’t expect to hear soft jazz, such as Kenny G.
“We do what people call kind of straight ahead, real jazz," said Christ.
The station plays jazz by day and indie rock overnight.
“So why are students involved? I say, well, it’s an extracurricular activity, it’s like sports,” said Christ. “Not everybody’s going to become a professional football player, but they still like to play football.”
What students learn at the station translates beyond radio.
“You learn about management, you learn development, how people ask for money, you’ll learn about promotion, marketing,” Christ said.
KRTU is celebrating its 50th anniversary on Jan. 23, 2026, with a free concert featuring Jazzmeia Horn. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7:00. The public is invited to attend.
"I hope that as the music changes and the music industry changes, KRTU will continue to evolve with that as new artists are coming onto the scene and challenging what this genre can be and what it can sound like," Woods said.
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