Lufkin Radio Station Owner Arrested

[JimTexBell]

Sad to report that Stephen Yates is in trouble again. The Lufkin Daily News reports he was arrested Tuesday night on a charge of assaulting his girlfriend. The girlfriend was also arrested and charged with public intoxication.

This could cause serious problems for Stephen because he is on probation out of Polk County on a third DWI conviction. In May 2011, he faced possible probation revocation for driving a vehicle that did not have a Breathalyzer installed, but in a deal with the court he agreed to surrender his driver’s license until 2017.

Yates violated his probation the first time in June 2007 after failing a mandatory drug screen, according to a previous report. At that time, he was sentenced to 90 days in rehab after spending 12 days in jail.

What will happen now? Who knows?

Yates owns and runs KYBI FM 100, KSML 101.9, Hot 96.3, KRBA 1340 and ESPN 1260.

 

[jd]

What will happen now? Who knows?

Yates owns and runs KYBI FM 100, KSML 101.9, Hot 96.3, KRBA 1340 and ESPN 1260.

That's a good question, and I'll follow with another: how long has it been since the FCC declared that a station owner exhibited moral turpitude and was judged to be unfit to continue to be an owner?

 

[KeithE4]

That's a good question, and I'll follow with another: how long has it been since the FCC declared that a station owner exhibited moral turpitude and was judged to be unfit to continue to be an owner?

IIRC, the last time it happened was in 2001. Mike Rice, who owned stations in Terre Haute IN, lost his licenses after being convicted of child molestation and other sex crimes. AFAIK, his statons are still off the air.

That is far worse than multiple DWIs and assault, as bad as those are. He may do some hard time, but I don't know if being a habitual drunk and girlfriend-beater is enough cause for the FCC to revoke his licenses.

 

[Groove1670]

Any operator could lose a license with a Felony conviction.

 

[Anonymouse]

I do know that Stephen can't own any new stations, at least according to this...

From KZXL's Wikipedia:
Stephen Yates is currently operating KZXL and placed the license of KZXL in Amy's name because his felony convictions prohibit him from owning any new stations.

 

[jd]

Note that Amy Yates graduated from high school in 2011, and reportedly lives in Dallas. Her dad is in Deep East Texas taking care of things. Sort of.

 

[Kent]

IIRC, the last time it happened was in 2001. Mike Rice, who owned stations in Terre Haute IN, lost his licenses after being convicted of child molestation and other sex crimes. AFAIK, his statons are still off the air.

He also owned stations in Columbia and Eldon/Lake of the Ozarks, MO. I worked across the street at the old Premier Radio Group when his KFMZ was ordered off-the-air. He also had beautiful music KBMX and a CP for a 103.5 in Huntsville, MO. KBMX 101.9 was auctioned and is now KZWV "101.9 The Wave." Former KHTR St. Louis and later KMIZ GM Randy Wright (now with the University of Florida and WRUF) won the station in auction with some of his friends at KMIZ and a Columbia auto dealership. He sold to Zimmer Radio last year, and my former co-worker Justin "K" Hammons is PD there today. His CP out of Huntsville was reserved for non-commercial use, and KCVO's Spirit FM won it. It signed on earlier this year. Another good friend and former co-worker, Karen Dye, does mornings there along with the rest of the network.

I believe you're correct that Mike Rice was the last person to lose a license for criminal activity. I think the biggest problem was that he was accused of running the stations from prison. If he'd thrown them into a trust instead, the thought around here is that he could' ex kept them. There have been a few convicted felons who sold their stations under the distress sale rule since. Doug Lane, who owned some stations in Scranton-Wilkes Barre, did a distress sale after being convicted of using his radio stations to get high school interns and explorers and molest them.

 

[js6592]

I worked for KBMX 101.9 from 1989-1991. At the time, it was owned by Mike Rice, plus two other well-known broadcasters from St. Louis.........Dennis Klautzer and Ken Kuenzie. Klautzer was production director at KMOX at the time and Kuenzie owned and managed KSLQ in Washington, Missouri. However, the station was corporately managed by Rice's company, Contemporary Media Group, based in St. Peters. Janet Cox was Rice's assistant and she pretty much ran all of Rice's stations in his absence. I left KBMX in October 1991, just a few months after the news about Mike Rice's arrest became public. I'm not sure at what time Klautzer and Kuenzie pulled out of the station's co-ownership, but currently, they own KRMS AM & FM in Osage Beach, (a previous competitor to KBMX).