KOOP Forced Off Air By Second Fire

Remember last month when the downtown Austin building at Fifth and San Jacinto that houses KOOP-FM and Sweatbox Studios caught fire?

Well, another fire early Saturday morning destroyed all of the station's studio equipment and knocked them off the air until further notice. In the meantime, UT student station KVRX will fill KOOP's space on the 91.7 FM frequency. I haven't heard anything about Sweatbox's fate yet.

Saturday's fire began in a nightclub next door. The fire reduced the nightclub to rubble and spread to two adjoining buildings. Fortunately, everyone in the affected buildings got out safely.

Still, this is a huge body blow to KOOP. Relocation will almost certainly entail paying much higher rent, and now they have to replace all their equipment, too.

You can donate to the rebuilding effort here, or you can support KOOP by going to see the Ugly Beats and Nervous Exits at Beerland this Friday, February 10.