Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • 122

cuts asks donors to john herndon radio which originates in Los Angeles, tends to do well in college towns, he said. The program replaces Sports Central and the first two hours of Texas USA with former Austin country Ernie Brown, both on the Texas State Network. "We still catch the last two hours of Ernie, from 11 to 1," Drew said. In addition, KVET has added Michelle Roebuck to its news staff. Roebuck is anchoring midday reports and the station's new evening reports at the top of the hour during the Leykis program.

"We now have newscasts from 5 in the morning till 11 at night," Drew said. The Lower Colorado River Authority is getting into the radio business. The LCRA bought AM 1530 last year, and has been working to upgrade the signal since. The station, KWTR-AM, began broadcasting weather and river information earlier this month. "We're also including other information programming community and environmental "said station manager John Williams.

The automated operation is airing the information on repeating tapes, he said. The signal reaches some 17 Central Texas counties, from Temple to Brenham, Luling and Lockhart to San Marcos, Llano and Burnet, Williams said. Austin Chronicle political writer Daryl Slusher is giving his slant on the news on KOOP-FM. The near-miss mayoral candidate is venting his opinions for about five minutes at 6:30 p.m. weekdays.

ustin's public radio station KUT-AA FM begins its spring fund drive itoday facing the reduction and potential cutoff of federal funds. The House of Representatives has approved a 15 percent rescission of funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes federal ftuids to public radio and television stations. The cut would cost KUT $46,872, said Betsy Pilkington, KUT's director of development. The issue now moves to the Senate. Predicting the actions of a legislative body is little more than a guess, but some handi-cappers are expecting action in the Senate before the Easter recess.

Later this year, the CPB faces reauthorization, and House Speaker Newt Gingrich, has said he will not permit legislation reauthorizing the CPB to reach the House floor. KUT listeners have been expressing their concern and support, Pilkington said. "We've had a tremendous response from folks. People are voicing concerns about what's going to happen. They're asking us, 'Is this We're saying, 'It's very "The realization is that we're going to be facing a budget cut," Pilkington said.

"We have to prepare for a 15 percent decrease in CPB funding. So our fund-raising goal is 15 percent more than last spring." Last spring, the station raised $185,000. The goal for this spring is $212,800. "We don't want to raise the rates of our membership levels by 15 percent, but we'd like to suggest that folks think about perhaps upgrading their usual pledge by 15 percent," Pilkington said. That would take a $35 pledge to $40, a $70 pledge to $80 and a $140 pledge to $160.

"We're going to appeal as strongly as we can to get new members." The fund drive begins tonight at 8 p.m. with the Phil Music show, hosted by Larry Monroe, and continues through April 9. KVET-AM introduced a new evening talk show last week. Tom Leykis is airing weeknights from 7 to 11. Leykis is more liberal than the current crop of talk hosts, but his program is more about current-events-oriented entertainment than politics, according to KVET program director Dustin Drew.

"He's mind-provoking," Drew said. The nationally syndicated program, Missile link by modem lopsil ramo stations If Ml P(8a1)C0fV IXI IL temporary Christian music. 837-8801. KAZI blues, gospel talk. 836-2887.

KNNCSZL rock. 930-KNACk (5622). KFAN Blues, rock, country music. (210) 997-2197. am stations If I I (590) News, IXLiDJ talk, UT sports.

If IVI (97)christian IxlL information, talk shows. 447-KIXL. --T (1060) All gos-IXl I I pel. 328-1060. ixr i 1 7 Top 40.

390- 5789. (89.5) Classical. 476- KMFA 5632. KKMJSr 390-KKMJ or (800) MA1IC 95. IXriri poraryhrts.

390-KHFI or (800) 75CVKHFI. Country IX VC I music. (800) 444-KVET, 390-KVET. If I T7(98 9) IX I Cm Current rock. 390-5665 or (800) 992-ROCK.

If ACE(100-7) Courv Ma Km try music. i try, easy listen ing. 352-3631. II IT (90-5) NPR news' iVU I information, eclectic music. 471-2345.

IX I I teningand classical. (817) 526-1406. cable) 7 p.m. to 9 a.m. weekdays, 10 p.m.

to 9 a.m. weekends. 495-KVRX. KOOPT p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m.

to 10 p.m. weekends. 472-KOOP. tf I tfAf (92-1 Country (1300) News, Continued from page 25 suspend their disbelief, have wired together computers and charged entry fees for Doom tournaments at computer software stores. An id Software-sponsored competition in New York brought players from England and across the country, each playing a different way.

That trend, too, is spreading. Com-pUSA's Austin store is in the midst of a tournament for Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft. "We're just seeing the tip of the iceberg," says Stephens. "Within the next two or three years, there's going to be a huge shift toward on-line gaming. And once virtual reality enters the picture, what's possible is absolutely spooky." Kesmai has teams working on highly realistic flight simulators, says Jonathan Baron.

"Imagine pulling alongside your buddy's plane and actually seeing his face from the glow of the cockpit gauges," he says. "It's coming." Discussion groups on the Internet's Usenet already have started talking about the next creation from id Software, the Mesquite-based makers of Doom and Doom II. Although Quake, as this upcoming game is called, doesn't even have a firm release date late 1995 is all officials will say it's being heralded for bringing KVET "Imagine a world where players are logging in and leaving all the time," says Jay Wilbur, id's chief executive. "You'll actually talk to them on a headset, and players will have a hand in building the worlds where they play." Doom made "cooperative world-building" popular by releasing to players many of the proprietary computer tools used to make new levels, add characters, weapons and scenarios. In the process, the company has spawned a cottage industry.

Cytech Codehouse in Chicago has gathered more than 1,000 of the game's new levels and put them on a CD-ROM. More than 5,000 people already have paid $34.95 for the add-ons that are free on bulletin boards and on-line services. In the future, all games will have similar expansion capabilities, says Smith. The add-ons will be created live, as competition is under way elsewhere in the game. "In the near future, games won't be created anymore they'll evolve before your eyes," he says.

"You may be playing in one area while someone is building a whole new section. When it's ready, they open the doors, and you rush in. "It's an extension of the ideas people toyed with in the original MUDs," he says. "They wanted it back then. Now we can make it happen." talk.

390-UVE. (800) 3-MOTOWN. I AC I (HMJIrrter- IMS IX I-1 tian. (800)- IXI-I-VJ i I national rock. 1X1 IX I hits.

BIG-KICK, 593-5464. Tejano. 453-1440. 218-0111. If I (92.5)Tejano IXlxLD and dance music.

390-5552. I-JJT(93-3)Hits93 If IXrCf. rock. 390-5000 or (800) 369-4102. ICVI (103.5) Oldies IX C.

I from the '50s and '60s. 390-5060. lftfSQR(107-1)Folk' I VVJ mf IX reggae, rock, blues and jazz. 390-KGSR. if i ini lUUL ish Christian music and talk.

(210) 781-5528. KFONSSy If IX I hits, traditional favorites. 834-1 560. ivnn i 70s rock. 390-5933.

IID I (93.7) Rock 'n' ILD roll. 8324094. 28 March 30. 1995 Austin American-Statesman.