On Thursday, an AM station in Texas will air its final farewell.
1000 KSTA(AM) is licensed to Coleman, about 140 miles southwest of Ft. Worth. It is a 250-watt daytime-only signal that runs a country music format.
According to the station’s website, it has been on the air at 1000 AM since 1951. The FCC’s history card shows that it granted KSTA’s license in 1947.
Wendlee Broadcasting, led by Rex Tackett and his wife Mariann, purchased the signal in 2006, along with sister stations 1240 KXYL(AM), 96.9 KQBZ(FM) and 102.3 KXYL(FM).
At the time, Tackett and his wife saw the investment as a short-term endeavor. Twenty years later, they sought to find new ownership for all of the stations.
For four of their five stations, they have been successful. But unable to find a buyer for KSTA, after Thursday, it will go silent. Wendlee Broadcasting made the announcement this week on its Facebook page.
For $160,000, Tackett is selling the KXYL AM/FM combo to Lonestar Broadcasting Group, according to an April 28 FCC filing.
He said he is close to finding a buyer for KQBZ.
Tackett told Radio World that he had tried to find someone within the community who would be willing to invest in KSTA.
But with the lease on its building expiring, along with several recent KSTA technical challenges, Hackett felt it was time to pull the plug instead of investing in repairs.
“My wife and I bought these stations 20 years ago, and though we’ve loved every minute of it, we want to be able to enjoy retirement,” Tackett, 82, told us.
He has more than 50 years of experience in broadcasting and is best known for his days as a general manager at radio stations in San Antonio, Houston, Beaumont and Oklahoma City while working for then-Clear Channel.
In 2012, Tackett was inducted Texas Radio Hall of Fame.
Radio, he said, has changed since he first got involved. But despite his exit, Tackett still believes it has a place.
“Coleman County is an example of a location where nothing can replicate the immediacy of radio,” he said.
“I’m proud of what radio does, and I’m sorry to be leaving it, and I wish it the best of luck,” Tackett added.
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