A Class C2 FM offering “JACK FM” to a sparsely populated portion of northern Arizona and southern Utah and its 1kw Class C AM branded as “The Bandit,” along with their respective translators, could soon be offering area radio listeners nothing but the sounds of silence.
The radio stations’ owner is retiring at the end of 2022. And, she is seeking a local buyer to keep them on the air. If unsuccessful, special temporary authority requests will be submitted with the FCC signaling their shutdown.
The stations are Lake Powell Communications’ KPGE-AM 1340 and K252FG at 98.3 MHz, which air a Country format, and KXAZ-FM 93.3 in Page, Ariz.
Page’s claim to fame is as a gateway to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and to Lake Powell. Tourism is key; Aramark is the top employer, with 1 in 7 residents receiving a paycheck from the company.
That’s likely the biggest selling point for Janet Brown as her Lake Powell Communications has put out a request for buyers. According to the Lake Powell Chronicle, this would be someone from the community of under 7,500 residents.
“My staff at the station has deep, deep talent, and they want to continue to work for the radio stations,” Brown told the newspaper. “They’ve amassed years of talent and service to the community and know the community, and they want to continue to work here, but I am retiring. So, we need to find a new owner for the stations. I’m holding out hope that someone will step forward from the community.”
In addition to the radio stations, which also include an FM translator at 101.1 MHz used by KXAS, Lake Powell Communications publishes the Lake Powell USA Visitor Guide, the lakepowelllife.com website and owns information kiosks around town.
Brown and her husband, Dan Brown, have been radio station owners since 1981, when they purchased an FM in Gunnison, Colo. Dan, then a member of the Arizona Broadcast Association board of directors, rose his hand and said he’d go to Page to see if a radio station could survive in the rural community. At the time, KPGE-AM & KXAZ-FM were simulcast partners under ownership that had filed for federal bankruptcy protection. Because of their financial situation, the diesel-powered operation was off the air often since they lacked the funds to purchase fuel.
The Browns acquired the stations in 1991. Then, just Lake Powell Resort had any marketing budget. Now, Brown says her multimedia company formed with Dan is a “cash-flowing cow.” Yet, she’s set a “bankruptcy price” for the business, all so she and her husband can sleep in, relax and relocate to New Mexico.
That said, the Browns home in Page, Ariz., suffered considerable damage in summer 2022 due to flooding. Then, there’s an unsigned letter Janet Brown received from the City of Page ordering her to vacate the land she has leased for 30 years that houses the KPGE tower. Why? “They want to build homes there,” she said. “What that does is it eliminates the country station … as well as the Page High School sports, all the football and basketball broadcasts. I was really taken aback by that. I’ll be turning 70 in April. I’m way past retirement time. I’m ready to retire.”
FCC rules state that even while silent under a STA, Brown has until December 2023 to find a buyer willing to bring the FM back and even the AM, once a new tower site is secured.
“As a broadcaster, your job is to inform, educate and entertain the community,” Brown told the newspaper. “I think because of our isolation, people listen to the radio because they want to know the lake temperature or the weather or where to get a job. This team here is ready to continue on and do a good job for Page.”
