Where was KRTS/Seabrook?

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

As former Seabrook resident who left long before that station appeared on the map ... am curious where the station ("K-ARTS") was actually located when it was still licensed to Seabrook? Can't really find any kind of online history that mentions it? Thanks much!!!

 

[yragha]

92.1

 

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

Thanks...I should have been clearer in what I was asking. Curious where the STUDIOS were located ... was the operation in the Clear Lake area or was it just licensed to Seabrook the way others to Conroe, Lake Jackson, etc. and operate in town...?

 

[Mediafrog+]

Although originally in the Seabrook area, the studios were moved to downtown Houston in the early 90's. During the last few years of the classical format KRTS was in an office building on Montrose just north of the SW Freeway.

 

[rageradio]

...... KRTS was in an office building on Montrose just north of the SW Freeway.

Was that building demolished? I went throught there a few weeks ago and didn't see it

 

[snoman]

I used to live right by their stick. It is now KROI.

 

[TexasTuner]

...... KRTS was in an office building on Montrose just north of the SW Freeway.

Was that building demolished? I went throught there a few weeks ago and didn't see it

No...it's still standing, but all of the KRTS logos went away right after they sold to Radio One. Actually, Mike Stude took down the signage before they closed on the sale back in 2004.

Texas Tuner (former KRTS CE)

 

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

So ... T/T .... were you with them in Seabrook too? Still trying to figure out where the Seabrook location would have been when it launched until the move downtown? Thanks!!!

 

[Bill Cherry]

I seem to recall the actual studios and business office originally being in a building just off El Camino in Clear Lake City.

 

[rrgroup]

That's right, it was located in a 60's era seven story hotel DIRECTLY across the main entrance to the Johnson Space Center. I know because I created the 92.1 FM station at Seabrook/Houston. We occupied the seventh floor east end of the building comprising of 4 suites. My office was where NBC correspondent and late Frank McGee used to call the Space Center action involving the Mercury Program and the "Original 7". NBC's "stacked" logo was still visible on my office wall despite being painted over. The old hotel has since been demolished and replaced by a Luby's cafeteria. My family and I lived in Clear Lake City for over 20 years.

The station started out as "Z-Rock" [KZRQ] and had a power of 3,000 watts. Later it became a re-birth of KYND and classical KLEF and I then up-graded the power to 100,000 watts with a grant from the FCC after successfully re-shuffling a number of stations to different frequencies to make it happen.

When that was done I sold it to Mike Stude [on terms] for less than 1/35th of what he received from another Buyer in cash, he dropped the heritage calls, KLEF, [they went to Anchorage], and the rest, as they say, is history.

As I am nearly 60 years old now, I must say those were some my proudest moments as a now 36 year veteran in the business.

Thank you so much for asking...and allowing me to digress a little.

Warmly,

Roy E. Henderson

 

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

Thank you so much, Roy, for the history. The Internet continues to fascinate me about how you can pose a little morsel of a question and people emerge from the ether who were involved with that exact scenario!!!

I clearly remember that hotel ... I was in the area during the Apollo years and wondered why NBC had a studio at NASA yet never really used it for any coverage (most of their HOU material was taking feeds from Mission Control and using standups). Neil Armstrong lived down the street from me and his house had an enormous press presence during the 11 mission, including 2-3 live remote trucks, even though his wife Jan only did one or two live front-yard statements and very short interviews during the entire flight.

Interesting that your station wound up there ... especially given it was right across the street basically from the shopping center where KMSC (later KLYX, later KMJQ) launched. Guess Clear Lake has some talent for incubating some interesting stations!! Also remember how cool it was that the classical station in the market adopted the "KLEF" calls; but I am thinking of the original station. Don't know much of its history, though.

Thank you for sharing your story. Amazing to hear how many "random" pieces came together (rebirth of KLEF & KYND, located in Seabrook area, located in that abandoned NBC penthouse) to make up a little bit more of this story!!! KLYX was the station that sparked and fueled my interest in radio; and I definitely miss my days in the Clear Lake area!

 

[TexasTuner]

[
The station started out as "Z-Rock" [KZRQ] and had a power of 3,000 watts. Later it became a re-birth of KYND and classical KLEF and I then up-graded the power to 100,000 watts with a grant from the FCC after successfully re-shuffling a number of stations to different frequencies to make it happen.

I beg to differ...it was Mike Stude, after buying the old 92.1 class A at Seabrook, who spent his personal money and moved four other stations around, upgrading all of them, to get the 92.1 to a C2, then a C1 facility. That was a long, drawn out affair due to one individual attempting to drop in a frequency that would have directly conflicted with one of Mike Stude's moves. I was CE there for 7 years, and am proud to say that, after a long, long wait, was the guy who finally got to run the Continentals up to full power (100 kw ERP). Mr. Henderson did profit from his sale of the old 92.1 to Mike Stude, that much is correct.

Texas Tuner

 

[rrgroup]

Mr. Texas Tuner:

I laud your work putting those Continentals together. I have to say you had to be a good engineer to work for Mike Stude.

Your statement of fact that it was he [Stude] that actually "built" the 100,000 watt facility is correct.

However, I feel I did the "hard" part. I created it [the Upgrade] and worked it through the Commission up to the point of grant. He did nothing about that. It took me almost 5 years to do that. Stude had a clause in our contract dealing with the up-grade. Would you like to see it? I still have it. Since Mr. Stude bought the station personally he did not have enough money to pay me in full so he asked me for terms. And, yes, I made some money over time on the deal. I am very happy that Mr. Stude made a lot. BTW, at the time of his purchase, he told me he would NEVER sell the station and protect "Classical" music on the radio, forever, for ALL the citizens of Houston. [because of the recent demise of the original KLEF].

BTW, the studio for our KLEF 92.1 had moved into the Lyric Centre Building in downtown Houston by me. That building was owned by Joe Russo, another then contender for the purchase of my radio station.

Roy E. Henderson

 

[TexasTuner]

Mr. Texas Tuner:

I laud your work putting those Continentals together. I have to say you had to be a good engineer to work for Mike Stude.

Your statement of fact that it was he [Stude] that actually "built" the 100,000 watt facility is correct.

However, I feel I did the "hard" part. I created it [the Upgrade] and worked it through the Commission up to the point of grant. He did nothing about that. It took me almost 5 years to do that. Stude had a clause in our contract dealing with the up-grade. Would you like to see it? I still have it. Since Mr. Stude bought the station personally he did not have enough money to pay me in full so he asked me for terms. And, yes, I made some money over time on the deal. I am very happy that Mr. Stude made a lot. BTW, at the time of his purchase, he told me he would NEVER sell the station and protect "Classical" music on the radio, forever, for ALL the citizens of Houston. [because of the recent demise of the original KLEF].

BTW, the studio for our KLEF 92.1 had moved into the Lyric Centre Building in downtown Houston by me. That building was owned by Joe Russo, another then contender for the purchase of my radio station.

Roy E. Henderson

Mr. Henderson:

I appreciate your comments, but I have to say publicly that the KRTS C2/C1 plant was already built and operating when I took over from the late Dave Rowland, a talented engineer and good friend who left this world at a far too early an age. Dave (along with help from Bill Cordell) built that plant where the old 107.3 Z Rock had once operated. I can take responsibility for making the switch to the full power (23.5kw TPO) operation when KRTS was finally granted C1 operation, after another facility in Bryan/College Station had moved to their new C2 frequency (one which had been held up for some time due to another individual filing a counter petition to their move).

I too remember Mr. Stude saying he'd never sell the station. Obviously, the old saying "never say never" comes to mind here. He had recently turned 65, and decided (rightly so) that it was time to get his investments in order, and that's why he sold KRTS (IMHO). I am very happy that Mr. Stude made out so well, and I can also publicly state that he took care of all of his employees that made it through closing-we all got severence packages based on our salaries and tenure. He didn't have to do that, but he did. He was, and still is, a classy guy.

Finally, I was there to shut down the transmitter when we went off the air (as KRTS) for the last time. KROI signed on about two hours later. The last voice heard on KRTS was that of Mike Stude, doing the final KRTS ID at 7:00pm, September 2004 (the exact date eludes me, but I'll probably wake up in the middle of the night and remember it-if someone here doesn't post it first!).

A class act all the way. Not many of those around these days.

Texas Tuner

PS: I have also seen the documents you describe. They make for very interesting reading. TT

 

[rrgroup]

TT:

I think we both accurately added to the history of this uniquely created station.

I also think we both can agree that creating a new fully-spaced FM radio channel in such a large market deserves certain credit to the individual that created it. And since this thread started with someone [not me] asking of the origins of this fine station I felt compelled to set the record straight... that I [not Mike Stude] originated it. Not only "it" but a few others as well.

Cheers!

Roy Henderson

 

[Mediafrog+]

The last voice heard on KRTS was that of Mike Stude, doing the final KRTS ID at 7:00pm, September 2004 (the exact date eludes me, but I'll probably wake up in the middle of the night and remember it-if someone here doesn't post it first!).

The exact date was September 15, 2004. Last music played on KRTS was the final movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony (Ode To Joy.") Interesting day, as there was no prepared music lineup and it was apparent management was letting the hosts play whatever they wanted.

 

[Bill Cherry]

Roy, I followed your great radio business sense as you developed that station. I always wanted to meet you to see what all I might learn from you.