Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom
KRTU is celebrating 20 years on-air as an educational community, jazz radio station with a special concert on October 21, 2022 presented by Community First Health Plans. The 20th anniversary concert will bring together the San Antonio community to celebrate with live music from a diverse group of musicians representing the wide spectrum of jazz. The event will be hosted at Trinity University Laurie Auditorium, is FREE and open to the public, and will include an exclusive KRTU member and sponsor VIP reception prior to the concert.
A concert, twenty years in the making featuring award winning drummer and former station host Gerry Gibbs and Thrasher People. Plus trombonist and San Antonio native Ron Wilkins and his Quartet! There will also be a second line with Dirty River Jazz Band and a VIP reception experience featuring DJ Ben Luhrman.
What This Means for KRTU, Trinity, and San Antonio
Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Jazz on 91.7 FM gives KRTU an opportunity to showcase the diversity of the jazz genre, its history here in San Antonio, and its ability to create meaningful change in our lives and the greater San Antonio community alongside our partners, Trinity University and the Carver Community Cultural Center. Our shared passion for music unites us to form greater connections to one another and helps us approach new experiences and ideas uniquely and with new perspectives. Jazz has an opportunity to start conversations and grow our capacity to think innovatively and unconventionally.
Get Involved
All sponsorship of the 20th Anniversary of Jazz event affords you access to a limited number of VIP seating, entry into the VIP/Member Experience, and logo recognition on KRTU digital and printed promotional materials.
- $7500 | Presenting Sponsors
$7500 - Presenting Sponsors receive recognition as presenting sponsor on all on-air 20th Anniversary of Jazz event promotions and at the event. VIP seating at the event for you and 12 guests. Your VIP guests receive a complimentary poster the evening of the event. Opportunity to promote your company at the event with a table to distribute promotional materials.
- $5000 | Jazz Legend Sponsors
$5000 - Jazz Legend Sponsors receive recognition as sponsor on all 20th Anniversary of Jazz event on-air, digital and printed promotions. VIP seating at the event for you and 10 guests. Your VIP guests receive a complimentary poster the evening of the event. Opportunity to promote your company at the event with a table to distribute promotional materials.
- $2500 | Jazz Advocate Sponsors
$2500 - Jazz Advocate Sponsors recognition as sponsor on all 20th Anniversary of Jazz event digital and printed promotions. VIP seating at the event for you and 8 guests. Your VIP guests receive a complimentary poster the evening of the event. Opportunity to promote your company at the event with a table to distribute promotional materials.
- $1000 | Jazz Fan Sponsors
$1000 - Jazz Fan Sponsors recognition as sponsor on all 20th Anniversary of Jazz event digital and printed promotions. VIP seating at the event for you and 6 guests. Your VIP guests receive a complimentary poster the evening of the event. Opportunity to promote your company at the event with a table to distribute promotional materials.
TWENTY YEARS OF JAZZ FORMAT
In 2002, KRTU adopted its primary music format - Jazz.
In 2002, KRTU adopted its primary music format - Jazz. At the time of the decision, a great deal of consideration had been given to the future format, with Classical music being a part of the conversation. With the help of committed faculty members, staff and community representatives willing to support Jazz and KRTU, the decision was made on October 7, 2002 to adopt a primarily all-jazz format. Since then, KRTU has earned international recognition as a first-rate cultural force in jazz radio. Around thirty-five specialty programs highlight the vast spectrum of jazz, from classic jazz artists and recordings to premier, modern-day pioneers and regional artists. One of only 60 FCC-licensed jazz stations nationwide (and one of three in Texas), KRTU keeps jazz relevant within a modern context while emphasizing its historical significance, contemporary value, and diversity.
KRTU maintains one of the largest in-studio collections of jazz recordings in the country. Vinyl records, the original format used at KRTU, continue to be played on a daily basis. In addition to a robust collection of vinyl and CDs, the station maintains a digital library of over 100,000 songs.
TEN YEARS OF JAZZ FORMAT
In 2012, KRTU celebrated ten years of the jazz format with a city-wide initiative promoting local jazz, community engagement, and the arts. The ‘Year of Jazz’ celebration was a collaborative effort between KRTU, The City of San Antonio, and more than 20 non-profit organizations. The initiative was produced then by Associate General Manager, (Mayor) Ron Nirenberg and included the commission of the San Antonio Jazz Suite, composed by former KRTU Music Director, Dr. Aaron Prado. The suite is the history of San Antonio told in the language of jazz, celebrating the people, the culture, and the history of jazz in our beloved city.
The yearlong series of concerts culminated into a free concert in Laurie Auditorium featuring a performance of the San Antonio Jazz Suite with an all-star cast of local jazz musicians.
TWENTY YEARS OF JAZZ FORMAT
October 7, 2022 marks 20 years of the jazz format. This is an important celebration for KRTU, the City of San Antonio and the local, regional and international jazz community. Over the last two decades, KRTU has elevated jazz in San Antonio to new audiences with an abundance of specialty programs. Today, there are over 35 specialty jazz programs on KRTU hosted by committed local hosts. Programs like the South Texas Jazz Project, Jazz Break at Noon, Riffs, Woman in Jazz, and Jazz de Mexico celebrate jazz in all its styles and forms and continue the jazz education mission of the station.
Community concerts and educational initiatives, originally forged during the Year of Jazz, have had a lasting and positive impact on the local jazz community. Sunday Jazz at the Witte entertained audiences for over fifteen years! Today, Jazz at the Japanese Tea Garden continues the tradition by featuring seasonal concerts with local musicians. For the greater jazz music industry, KRTU is a Texas radio station playing classic and new jazz recordings continuing the important role of terrestrial radio as a beacon of jazz promotion. With only 60 jazz radio stations across the entire US and three in the state of Texas, KRTU remains committed to programming America’s original artform - Jazz.
Thank you to Our Sponsors
KRTU would like to thank our featured sponsors for their support and dedication to supporting local music, education, and independent listening.
Presenting Sponsor