Misplaced Pages

KFST

Fort Stockton, Texas United States
Broadcast area	Fort Stockton–Alpine
Frequency	860 kHz
Branding	KFST AM 860
Programming
Format	Adult contemporary
Affiliations	Westwood One
Ownership
Owner	Fort Stockton Radio Co., Inc.
Sister stations	KFST-FM
History
First air date	May 6, 1954 (1954-05-06)
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	22102
Class	B
Power	250 watts
Transmitter coordinates	30°52′37″N 102°53′30″W / 30.87694°N 102.89167°W / 30.87694; -102.89167
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Website	www.kfstradio.com

KFST (860 AM) and KFST-FM (94.3 FM) are radio stations in Fort Stockton, Texas, United States. They are owned and operated by the Fort Stockton Radio Co., Inc., and broadcast from studios southwest of the town on US 385. KFST broadcasts an adult contemporary format on AM and a country music format on FM with specialty Spanish-language programming; the stations share some news and talk programming.

KFST as an AM station began broadcasting in May 1954, after a multi-year delay induced by an ownership complication. The FM frequency debuted 20 years later, in 1974.

History

On January 14, 1950, a group of five investors trading as the Fort Stockton Broadcasting Company applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for permission to build a new daytime-only radio station on 860 kHz with a power of 250 watts. The FCC granted the construction permit three months later on April 13, but while the investors hoped to get KFST going by August 1, the station remained off the air. It almost never started, at least under that ownership. One of the investors, Leonard R. Lyon, also owned KTXC in Big Spring. The FCC opened an investigation into the ownership interests of both stations in March 1951 after coming into possession of a letter written by Lyon that indicated possible unauthorized transfers of control, which had never received commission approval. It proposed a hearing into the Big Spring station and the revocation of the KFST permit, leading another company to apply for the frequency. After a days-long hearing in Big Spring in November 1951, FCC chairman Paul A. Walker rendered an initial decision reinstating KTXC and the KFST permit in August 1952, approving construction of KFST to continue in August 1953.

With construction approved, work began on the studios in Fort Stockton's Springhirst Hotel as well as a transmitter site elsewhere. It began broadcasting on May 8, 1954. Over the following years, the station's ownership changed until only Clyde E. Thomas was left as sole owner in January 1955. He then sold the station to George Baker in 1956. In 1961, the commission approved the assignment of the license to a group including Billy H. Hubbs. Hubbs had previously started radio stations across West Texas and in New Mexico and Colorado; prior to that, he founded what became the Odessa American and Pecos Enterprise newspapers; the next year, Jim Hawkins became a station manager and later a part-owner. By 1964, the station aired 14 hours a week of programs in Spanish.

The FM station began as KPJH with a beautiful music format on November 6, 1974. Hawkins sold KFST and KPJH to George Day and Roy Parker in March 1983, starting four years of ownership changes that ended with Ken Ripley and William Gail Garlitz as owners by 1987. During this time, in 1986, KPJH became KFST-FM.

Programming

KFST and KFST-FM have separate music formats—adult contemporary and country, respectively. The stations share morning and noon hours of talk and news programming and air Texas State Network radio news. KFST-FM airs Spanish-language programming on evenings and Sunday afternoons. The AM station offers high school sports and Texas Longhorns football, while Texas A&M Aggies football airs on FM.

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for KFST". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. "Facility Technical Data for KFST-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
3. ^ "History Cards for KFST". Federal Communications Commission.
4. "Fort Stockton's KFST Approved". San Angelo Standard-Times. San Angelo, Texas. May 17, 1950. p. 3. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Fort Stockton Radio Station Plans Formed". San Angelo Standard-Times. San Angelo, Texas. January 30, 1950. p. 1. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "FCC Investigating Two Area Stations". The Odessa American. Odessa, Texas. March 16, 1951. p. 1. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "New Fort Stockton Radio Station Asked". San Angelo Standard-Times. San Angelo, Texas. June 22, 1951. p. 2. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "KTXC Hearings Concluded: Briefs To Be Ready Jan. 15". San Angelo Standard-Times. San Angelo, Texas. November 10, 1951. p. 2. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "2 West Texas Radio Stations Patch Up Troubles With FCC". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. Associated Press. August 5, 1952. p. 8. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "FCC Okays Building Of Stockton Station". San Angelo Standard-Times. San Angelo, Texas. August 17, 1953. p. 3. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Fort Stockton Radio Station To Begin Soon". San Angelo Standard-Times. San Angelo, Texas. February 20, 1954. p. 8B. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Station Opening Set". The Odessa American. Odessa, Texas. May 6, 1954. p. 1. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "West Texas journalism pioneer Barney Hubbs dies at 96". San Angelo Standard-Times. San Angelo, Texas. January 6, 1993. p. 8. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
14. ^ "KFST to mark 40th anniversary". The Fort Stockton Pioneer. May 12, 1994. p. 2A.
15. "Radio and television stations with major Spanish programing". Broadcasting. May 25, 1964. p. 79. ProQuest 1014479207.
16. Baker, Frank K. (November 7, 1974). "Pipe Lines". The Fort Stockton Pioneer. p. 1.
17. "KFST Radio". KFST. Retrieved November 2, 2024.

External links

• Facility details for Facility ID 22102 (KFST) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• KFST in Nielsen Audio's AM station database

This article about a radio station in Texas is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

• Radio stations in Texas
• Soft adult contemporary radio stations in the United States
• Radio stations established in 1954
• 1954 establishments in Texas
• Texas radio station stubs