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KPET Lamesa reported to be back on the air.

F

formerradio

Banned
Its been almost one year since radio icon (my term) David Stewart died from a massive stroke. At David's passing KPET shut down operations. Silence authority was filed for, granted and renewed. The Lamesa Reporter, a local newspaper reported on June 11th that KPET and FM translator have been playing "looped music" for the past two weeks. The Lamesa Reporter said that Fred Morton, co-owner expects to put KPET and the FM translator back on the air full time on July 1st. Fred Morton did create a Go Fund Me campaign to raise money to put KPET back on the air. The Go Fund Me campaign was created on February 4th and according to the GFM website raised $1,110 of a $65,000 goal. The most recent donation appears to have been made about three months ago.
 
$1,110! That certainly won't go very far. I wish Fred Morton the best of luck, but Lamesa is only a town of around 8,000 souls, and the only way that 690 will survive is for, Morton, or a new Licensee, to petition the Commission to move the translator closer to Lubbock and hope for the best. It certainly doesn't look promising for the good folks left at KPET.
 
A “GoFundMe” campaign is pretty much an admission you have an unsustainable business model, as you are unable to raise capital through normal methods. Financial institutions won’t lend to you, investors aren’t interested, and you have little to no money of your own. And what happens once any GFM money is used up?

Sometimes businesses should be allowed to die, as there is no path forward.
 
rosecitymedia said:
$1,110! That certainly won't go very far. I wish Fred Morton the best of luck, but Lamesa is only a town of around 8,000 souls, and the only way that 690 will survive is for, Morton, or a new Licensee, to petition the Commission to move the translator closer to Lubbock and hope for the best. It certainly doesn't look promising for the good folks left at KPET.
Click to expand...

8000 people is plenty oif people, depending on the economy
 
SomeRadioGuy said:
8000 people is plenty oif people, depending on the economy
Click to expand...
There lies the problem, SRG. The area doesn't have the money to support the station anymore, and hasn't for a long time. It's the same story as Midland-Odessa, which has lost nearly its entire local AM band. If they can't maintain financial stability enough to keep the lights on there, Lamesa doesn't stand a chance. I hate to be the doom and gloom, but that's just the reality of that side of our single-starred State.
 
I visited a Texas Panhandle AM daytimer at least 20 years back. This was a town of 6,000. The owner had been a pilar in the community. He wanted me to take over his station and eventually own it. I asked him how he did: $50,000-$60,000 a YEAR. My salary at my radio job at that time was about $52,000. My initial thought was if it took being this well known, respected and lived there his whole life guy to get $50,000-$60,000 a year, I could likely halve that amount for a guy not from there.
 
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