For those who listen to any of Pampa’s radio stations faithfully, it’s fairly easy to tell when changes are being made, including changes in ownership.
Just a little over a year ago, it was clear that something was going on because if you listened to the radio throughout the day or during your work shift, it was common to hear the same songs played as if they were on a loop.
Sure enough, the station was indeed going through a transition in ownership and within a few months, their location would change as well.
But that was about it, nothing else had seemed to change.
In August of this year, the station would go through another transition of ownership, this time to folks who live and work here in Pampa and have a deep love for the community and a desire to be of service to Pampa’s citizens.
Troy Schweigerath with his wife, Breanne and Jason Scott with his wife Terra have all joined together to bring Pampa’s radio station into the modern age while maintaining that classic and timeless appeal.
All four of these individuals have experience in running a business and working within the community, as both Troy and Jason work for the City of Pampa and they, with Breanne and Terra have owned and operated Cinema 4 for about 19 years.
But getting into radio is something Troy and Jason have discussed for a long time.
“Deep down ever since we moved here, me and Jason have had conversations about maybe acquiring the radio station,” Troy said. “One of the guys we met early on in 2006 was Greg Campbell. We met him at like three in the morning when were remodeling the movie theatre. He had always worked for the radio station, so it had always been on the back burner for us. We were just waiting for the right time and this was God’s timing.”
Once they all took ownership, it was clear that the station had been neglected and there was going to be a tremendous amount of work to build it back up.
The station would go through another change in location, moving over on Nelson Street just a few blocks down from its very first original location on Banks. Troy did mention that they may consider purchasing the original building later on in the future, but for right now, they want to focus on where they are now and restoring the function of the station.
Ideas are already swirling around the group about what they want to do and need to do to bring out the station’s full potential, first being an update to the equipment.
“The original owners who got the radio station up and running haven’t replaced any of the equipment since the 60s. All the transmitters, the tower, lights-all of the equipment haven’t had anything done to them in years. The FCC knows so we’re currently working on that. Once we get the new transmitters, that would allow us to have a farther reach-into Amarillo, Miami, Canadian, and all the way down to Clarendon.”
Aside from updating all of the equipment, the group wants to update the music as well, although they have already added hundreds of new songs and can be heard today.
“The 1230 station, KGRO, will also be 99.9 now and we’re going to change the format of that music drastically. It will be called Decades where we’ll have the top hits from probably the 80s until now that will play.”
Troy’s passion is within the rock station where he has added more songs and artists to the lineup, including Pantera, Metallica and Judas Priest, putting a smile on the faces of fellow metalheads such as myself. But the rock station isn’t the only one that has been updated, as the country stations have had many more songs added, including modern country.
“I don’t want to hear the same song in an 8-hour period. When I’m at work, I want to hear a complete list of songs that are brand new. I don’t want to hear a repeat. So that’s what we’ve done, added more songs.”
While yes, the radio is considered a business, Troy and the others don’t see it as just that-it’s about the music and the ears that it reaches.
“Music is personal to us and is such a huge part of our lives. It always was when I was a kid, and Jason has been writing country songs since he was a little kid. So it’s a big deal to all of us and even more for this community. We didn’t want to see the radio station disappear. We think it’s too important for Pampa to have a radio station. We have a huge invested interest in this community so that’s why we stepped in and did what we did.”
Support your local radio station by staying tuned to Pampa stations KGRO 99.3/1230 AM, KOMX 100.3 and KRXZ 103.3.
We wish Troy, Jason, Breanne and Terra the best of luck on this new and exciting adventure!
