Here’s something that could result in a license revocation hearing if found guilty as charged.
The owner of the “Austin Radio Network,” comprised of a pair of FM radio stations serving Texas’ state capital region, was indicted Monday (9/28) — along with the Williamson County, Tex., Sheriff — for a felony evidence-tampering charge related to the March 2019 death of a local man.
The Sheriff is Robert Chody. The other individual is attorney Jason Nassour.
Nassour is the principal owner in Austin Radio Network, which owns and operates KTXX-FM 104.9, KTAE-AM 1260 and FM translator K270CO in the Austin market. The three signals air Sports Talk programming as “The Horn” and are the flagship stations of the University of Texas Longhorns athletics program.
Under licensee Genuine Austin Radio LP, Nassour and Eric Raines purchased the stations — formerly KLGO-AM & KOKE-FM — in September 2013 for $3.2 million.
Today, Nassour’s stake is 30% of Genuine Austin Radio, with an additional 29% tied to his role as a trustee overseeing the business.
And, his holdings include KOKE-FM 99.3 in Thorndale, Tex. (with FM translator K253AN) and FM translator K287FG, fed from KTXX’s HD4 signal.
The two FMs, KTAE-AM and three FM translators are now in jeopardy of falling into the hands of a new owner. According to KVUE-TV in Austin, video captured in relation to the death of Javier Ambler in March 2019 was destroyed. This was according to the A&E program “Live PD,” which was filming with sheriff’s deputies at the time of the incident.
Nassour was booked and subsequently released, and he now awaits a hearing.
“Live PD” no longer airs on the A&E Network; it was cancelled in June, upon learning that the show’s producers had filmed the incident between police and Ambler, aged 40, which ultimately resulted in his death.
According to CNBC, Ambler was stopped by police for failing to dim his headlights. He was later held down and tasered four times while the crew from “Live P.D.” filmed. Ambler died while in custody, and footage of the encounter never aired and was destroyed.
That’s the problematic part of the equation, and led to the Texas grand jury indictment of Nassour.
KVUE-TV, along with the Austin American-Statesman newspaper, broke the story. One week later, in June 2020, Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick and Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore opened a joint investigation.
What’s possibly in store for Nassour? The evidence tampering charge is a third-degree felony and punishable by two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, the American-Statesman reports.
