KSTA 1000 Coleman Shuts Down

[txchipk]

Another AM station shutting down and surrendering its license. According to its Facebook page, today (April 30) is its last day.

It's post on April 28:

It is with a heavy heart that we make this announcement today. On Thursday, April 30th, 2026, that KSTA Radio 1000, The Voice of Coleman County, will be signing off the air for the final time.
I personally want to extend my gratitude to all of our listeners and supporters and sponsors and advertising partners and livestream viewers that have supported KSTA for the last 20 years. You have meant the world to me, you meant the absolute world to my dad, Joseph Haynes, who loved this community deeply and dearly. Thank you so much for the memories and the years of allowing us to inform and entertain you. God Bless you, Coleman County. I ask that you tune in Thursday morning for our final livestream of the KSTA Morning Drive Live on your 1000 am dial and our Facebook page right here.
I’d also like to thank our the great folks at Wendlee Broadcasting for giving my family a platform to serve our community for so long.
-Dan Haynes, KSTA Station Manager
In Memory of Joseph Haynes, THE VOICE OF COLEMAN…

 

[Mediafrog+]

I guess KSTA didn’t want to take a suggestion from its own call and do a Silent STA.🤣

250 watt daytimer without an FM translator, but the owner does have some other stations in their portfolio.

I recall hearing the station over the decades on numerous trips through Coleman while heading elsewhere.

KSTA Coleman County Texas Radio, since 1951

KSTA studios serve Coleman County, Texas and the surrounding area with News, Sports, and Weather & classic Country-Western Music

www.colemanradio.com

 

[secondchoice]

The country(Coleman) has a population of around 7,700. One positive no Walmart. I believe they own KXYL 102.3 which is a C2 on 102.3 too. Apparently there are a couple of FM signals playing country recivable so I doubt anyone will miss 1000AM. I am surprised they didn't try oldies with the AM...But there might not be enough revenue in the market to support an extra station.

 

[ted chittenden]

The country(Coleman) has a population of around 7,700. One positive no Walmart. I believe they own KXYL 102.3 which is a C2 on 102.3 too. Apparently there are a couple of FM signals playing country recivable so I doubt anyone will miss 1000AM. I am surprised they didn't try oldies with the AM...But there might not be enough revenue in the market to support an extra station.

Coleman isn't too far out from Brownwood. And, while KBWD-AM (1380 kHz) is listed in some places as an AC outlet, when I've listened to it online, the playlist contains a lot more oldies than anything else.

 

[secondchoice]

A satellite or Internet fed oldies, especially barter, or do it in-house would be an option.

IDK if it was an "extra" or "bonus" would make selling local commercials on 102.3 easier. I don't think this was a "land" deal.

 

[b-turner]

It really doesn't make good financial sense to spend about $4,000 monhly plus any upcoming repairs to bonus commercials. and fool with a format. There's nobody to sell except Coleman. Brownwood, population 18,000, is very over-radioed with at least 6 commercial stations. It's very likely the AM was pulling the AM/FM combo into the red.

 

[KilowattKat]

It looks like the owner of KSTA is exiting radio. They have sold their two remaining radio properties, KXYL AM/FM.

Station Sales Week Of 5/1

JVC Broadcasting seeks to acquire Spanish Tropical “La Fiesta 106.9” WFWO Fort Walton Beach FL from Eugene Cella's Fort Walton

radioinsight.com

 

[b-turner]

Aha, I se where your 'bonus' idea has traction. $200,000 is a fairly low price. I suspect Coleman County is slim pickings for advertisers.

 

[txchipk]

Maybe KSTA will live on...It looks like the owners of KSTA have dropped the cancel license request and mark the station silent in the hopes of selling it off. From the application:

Licensee is requesting this silent authority because the owners are winding down their business activities and engaged in retirement financial decisions. Licensee is in negotiations with a potential purchaser to acquire the station assets and return to broadcasting. It is anticipated that an assignment application will be submitted shortly. However, until these negotiations are completed, licensee would like to remain silent to reduce financial waste and harm. This is in the public interest because the license will be preserved for the community until the next licensee takes control of the station and returns to on-air broadcasting.

Separately yesterday, the owners took co-owned KQBZ 96.9 Brownwood silent in order to sell it to a non-profit. From the application:

Licensee is requesting this silent authority because the owners are winding down their business activities and engaged in retirement financial decisions. Licensee is in negotiations with a potential non-profit institution to purchase the station within the next couple of months. However, until these negotiations are completed, licensee would like to remain silent to reduce financial waste and harm. This is in the public interest because the license will be preserved for the community until the next licensee takes control of the station and returns to on-air broadcasting.

KSTA STA: https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/d...&id=25076f919e73e3b5019e743e2228009f&goBack=N

KQBZ STA: https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/d...&id=25076ff39e58e432019e64d46be5013d&goBack=N

 

[ted chittenden]

Maybe KSTA will live on...It looks like the owners of KSTA have dropped the cancel license request and mark the station silent in the hopes of selling it off. From the application:


Separately yesterday, the owners took co-owned KQBZ 96.9 Brownwood silent in order to sell it to a non-profit. From the application:


KSTA STA: https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/d...&id=25076f919e73e3b5019e743e2228009f&goBack=N

KQBZ STA: https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/d...&id=25076ff39e58e432019e64d46be5013d&goBack=N

I'm probably being wishful but I'd love to see that buyer of KQBZ-FM be Texas Public Radio (TPR). Brownwood doesn't have any public radio stations, and the closest NPR affiliate, KACU-FM at 89.7 mHz in Abilene, doesn't appear to have much of a signal in Brownwood. And I think there is enough of a population in Brownwood, plus the surrounding towns of Bangs, Blankett, and Coleman, to support an NPR outlet in the area.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Maybe KSTA will live on...It looks like the owners of KSTA have dropped the cancel license request and mark the station silent in the hopes of selling it off.

I suspect Spanish language religion is in play here. It’s where AM stations in Texas go to die.

Separately yesterday, the owners took co-owned KQBZ 96.9 Brownwood silent in order to sell it to a non-profit.

At a quick glance I don’t see a K-Love, Air1 or Way-FM affiliate in the area. One of them?

First Dallas Media (KCBI) is also in expansion mode in Texas.

 

[Kent]

I suspect Spanish language religion is in play here. It’s where AM stations in Texas go to die.

Last weekend, Kara and I went to Springfield, IL and visited a brewery/beer bar for a couple hours. Turned out, the owner was from Coleman and shared some of his memories of appearing on KSTA when he was a member of the high school football team 15-20 years ago. He said he was surprised that station lasted as long as it did.

I'm hoping someone will take over who will make it a community focused station, but that’s probably a big ask. It sounded like KSTA was pretty much a one man show in the end, and I can’t imagine it would ever get enough revenue to sustain more than a couple employees.

 

[Jay S]

I suspect Spanish language religion is in play here. It’s where AM stations in Texas go to die.

At a quick glance I don’t see a K-Love, Air1 or Way-FM affiliate in the area. One of them?

First Dallas Media (KCBI) is also in expansion mode in Texas.

KQBZ would fill a hole between DFW, Waco, and San Angelo where First Dallas Media has stations. It’s a shame to lose format because it actually provided a nice option in a small radio dead spot halfway between Fort Worth and Abilene. By the way, wasn’t KQBZ owned by Howard Payne University with a hot AC format known as “The Buzz” at some point in time.

 

[txchipk]

I suspect Spanish language religion is in play here. It’s where AM stations in Texas go to die.

At a quick glance I don’t see a K-Love, Air1 or Way-FM affiliate in the area. One of them?

First Dallas Media (KCBI) is also in expansion mode in Texas.

No affiliates in the area for those, though Houston's KHCB-FM has a station there as part of its network.

Brownwood has a pair of local co-owned Christian outlets in gospel KBUB 90.3 and longtime CCM KPSM 99.3.