With reduced power, an AM radio station licensed to Lamesa, Tex., is getting attention from local media for its return to the air after a noticeable absence.
Class B KPET-AM 690, a 250-watt radio station from 1 tower in the small city due north of Midland suspended its operations on July 24, 2023, due to the passing of a co-owner. An STA request to keep it silent was granted by the FCC. Then, on June 28, a resumption of operations at reduced power was granted by the Commission.
That means the Classic Country station that had been part-owned by the late David Stewart, along with Fred Morton, is again on the air.
Radio Ink was told by Morton on July 3 that Mike Martini, who hosted the morning show prior to the station temporarily shutting down last year, “is not on the air or in any way affiliated with KPET.” Martini’s photo and references to him being the morning host remain on the KPET website.
Morton made sure KPET wouldn’t be lost forever in the 12 months following Stewart’s passing, following a stroke. “We had to beat an FCC deadline to get that done, and that’s why I’m here in the middle of summer,” he told KCBD-11’s news department. “We got lots of equipment that would belong in a museum or many museums.”
Meanwhile, some $125,000 in past-due bills require attention, too.
— With reporting by Adam R Jacobson
