KPAS El Paso deleted last year

[SnottyNose799]

It had been up since the 80's playing Christian music, mainly English but some Spanish mixed in.

The silent STA they filed a year and a half before the FCC deleted the license stated a sad story however. https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/api/download/attachment/25076ff3884ab7ad018891d6548e138b
To summarize lightning apparently damaged a transmitter tube socket they couldn't replace. I'm guessing it was old equipment and hard to find so the license just got canceled because nothing was done. I'm not sure what their financial situation was, but as for me if I couldn't find a tube I would have bought a new transmitter or sold KPAS, the transmitters are getting cheap. FM Transmitters | AquaBroadcast

Here's the aircheck that was posted to the forum a while back, file expires in a week.

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limewire.com

 

[Oldie919]

It had been up since the 80's playing Christian music, mainly English but some Spanish mixed in.

The silent STA they filed a year and a half before the FCC deleted the license stated a sad story however. https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/api/download/attachment/25076ff3884ab7ad018891d6548e138b
To summarize lightning apparently damaged a transmitter tube socket they couldn't replace. I'm guessing it was old equipment and hard to find so the license just got canceled because nothing was done. I'm not sure what their financial situation was, but as for me if I couldn't find a tube I would have bought a new transmitter or sold KPAS, the transmitters are getting cheap. FM Transmitters | AquaBroadcast

Here's the aircheck that was posted to the forum a while back, file expires in a week.

Content not found | LimeWire

Content not found on LimeWire

limewire.com

I think you meant to say:"...the transmitters AREN'T getting cheap."
There ARE, of course, less expensive transmitters than Aqua...but the Cobalt series models are VERY well-built and offer good tech support if needed.

 

[SnottyNose799]

Sorry I don't really know prices. I just think spending a few thousand bucks is a lot better than losing a license and station because you can't find a darn tube socket from the 80s, and Aqua's
features look useful.
But maybe KPAS wasn't worth even that. These days companies like TownSquare and Cumulus are shutting stations in smaller markets off because they're apparently losing money on them.

 

[Kent]

But maybe KPAS wasn't worth even that. These days companies like TownSquare and Cumulus are shutting stations in smaller markets off because they're apparently losing money on them.

Keep in mind that the owner is in his mid-to-late 90's. I don't know of too many people that age who are in good shape. It might have been a case of him no longer having the resources to get the transmitter fixed and not having an obvious successor to take care of the station or its affairs.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Keep in mind that the owner is in his mid-to-late 90's. I don't know of too many people that age who are in good shape. It might have been a case of him no longer having the resources to get the transmitter fixed and not having an obvious successor to take care of the station or its affairs.

This is why good quality business courses include plans for “having an endgame” no matter where you are in your career. At some point a business owner will no longer have the desire or ability to continue forward, and needs to know how to get out or wrap things up before it all goes south. Unfortunately many wait too long in taking action, assuming others will grab the reins.

 

[Kent]

This is why good quality business courses include plans for “having an endgame” no matter where you are in your career. At some point a business owner will no longer have the desire or ability to continue forward, and needs to know how to get out or wrap things up before it all goes south. Unfortunately many wait too long in taking action, assuming others will grab the reins.

Agreed! 💯

We've seen a couple other stations recently sign off because the owner wanted to retire and either had no succession plan or had one that didn’t pan out. KURM in Rogers, AR was an example we saw just last year.

Meyer Communications had a succession plan only to have Ken Meyer outlive his successors. Ultimately, Zimmer got his last stations in a deal it was hoping to make 20 years earlier.

Algie Felder, owner of KPAS, has quite a storied history in El Paso. He was heavily involved in the fight for civil rights and fought to eliminate the poll tax in Texas. Also, when he started his fight, African Americans were only allowed to vote in general elections. They had no say in primaries. He was a key figure in changing that and opening up primaries in the state. It's somewhat sad that his station ended the way it did, but one could also make the case that it was great that he got to operate it as long as he did. He ran KPAS for roughly 40 years and did it his way. I understand he turned down offers 25-30 years ago that would’ve made him rich despite the signal not actually covering much of El Paso because, whatever you might’ve thought of the programming, he thought he was providing a valuable service that he didn’t want to see replaced. His wife, who died about 10 years ago, helped him run the station if I remember correctly. So did one of his sons. I always figured that son would take over the station, but it doesn’t look like it happened for whatever reason.

 

[SnottyNose799]

That's honestly sad, Kent, I figured he'd have transfered it to a family member. I did read somewhere he might have passed away. R.I.P.