KDRP alive but building-less

Like the old Everley Brothers song “Gone, Gone, Gone,” the building that housed KDRP 103.1 FM LP, Dripping Springs’ own radio station was suddenly gone. Standing across the street from Oak Creek Café and Crepe Crazy, it was suddenly bulldozed.

The building had quite a few identities, an Italian Market, yarn and quilt shop and a few others. The building’s owner was a disc jockey and instead of driving to North Austin, he broadcast from his Dripping studio located in the upstairs from the retail space. It was pretty sophisticated operation and was perfect when the local Wilson family bought the property and reached out to the radio station and KDRP moved in 2010.

“Last year the station got notice that the building would be sold, and we had to be out by December 15. Moving back to our (Sun radio) main headquarters in Austin, the past three years the building was inhabitable with mold as you go back up to the studio. We’ve been using it as storage,” Ryan Schuh, KDRP’s Director of Affiliate Relations – Business Development said.

They are still broadcasting about everything Dripping Springs and of course, Dripping Springs’ sports. “Tiger Athletic teams, basketball home games for both boys’ and girls,’ playoffs, more basketball than in years past,” said Schuh.

Technology has made it possible for the radio hosts and DJs to do their shows from home. “Or they can go to our Austin headquarters,” he said. As for now they do have one big need though, a physical presence in Dripping Springs.

“We don’t need a big building. A place for our phone calls that are live, good internet…it’s our home little office, literally little, 250 sq. ft. at the most. And antenna on the roof that is in the line of sight to our tower here. But it’s not a deal breaker though.”

A place that would be available for the next five years would be great. This is important for filing government papers, such as to the FCC, who requires a permanent address for all broadcasting stations, and is a huge expense when changing legal addresses.

The station’s biggest draw of course is Dripping Springs High School Football in the fall and other local sports, but there is a full menu of the programs that are on the station.

Local issues and items of interest are on the station with local talk shows all week long, bringing issues to light that need to be addressed by the area’s residents.

For more information, see the KDRP 103.1 website at: sunradio.com or 

streamdb7web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/KDRP