Edge Rewrite
everything Source code View original
// HTMLRewriter · presentation

This page was redesigned at the edge.

Cloudflare fetched the original article and streamed it through HTMLRewriter to apply an entirely new visual system without rebuilding the source page.

// request.cf · coarse context

A page that knows where it met you.

Only coarse request metadata is shown. This demo does not display or persist visitor IP addresses.

Country
US
Cloudflare location
CMH
Connection
HTTP/2
Language
Not provided

Ray ID: a23ebafd09eca87d

Jump to content

// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did KGEZ say to its radio friend? "You're tuning in to a 'gez'ly good time

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

KGEZ
Broadcast area
Kalispell, Montana
Whitefish, Montana
Frequency600 kHz
BrandingKGEZ 600 AM
Programming
FormatFull service
Ownership
Owner
  • John Hendricks
  • (Flathead Valley Wireless Association, LLC)
History
First air date
1927
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
60575
ClassB
Power5,000 watts (day)
1,000 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates
48°9′40″N 114°16′51″W / 48.16111°N 114.28083°W / 48.16111; -114.28083
Translator96.5 K243CM (Kalispell)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
Websitekgez.com

KGEZ (600 AM) is an American broadcast radio station licensed to Kalispell, Montana and serving the Flathead region of western Montana. KGEZ is owned and operated by John Hendricks, President and GM of Flathead Valley Wireless Association, LLC. The KGEZ frequency is 600 kHz, a regional broadcast frequency.[2]

History

[edit]

KGEZ is Montana's second–oldest station, and the oldest in the Flathead. It first signed on in 1927.[3] The station was assigned these call letters by the Federal Communications Commission.[4] Currently, the station airs a full service format consisting of almost entirely locally originated programming, a rarity for stations in a market this small.

On July 9, 1957, KGEZ opened a TV station and became a CBS and an NBC affiliate, with rebroadcasting the former network shows from KXLY-TV in Spokane.[5][6] It was the first television station in the Flathead region.[7] The station went off the air on April 2, 1958 after a week of raising funds to contiune operating the station.[8] KGEZ-TV went back on the air on October 20, 1958.[9] The station changed its call letters to KULR in November 1958.[10][11] KULR went off for good on May 27, 1959 because of transmitter problems.[12][13] The license was returned to the FCC on February 21, 1962.[14]

From 2000 to 2009, it was owned by conservative activist John Stokes, and aired a News/Talk format under the moniker "Z-600, The Edge."[15] Its flagship program was a conservative-oriented talk show hosted by Stokes.

Seizure

[edit]

On September 24, 2009; KGEZ went silent after being seized by the United States Bankruptcy Court for Montana. In the spring of 2008, John Stokes was sued by Todd and Davar Gardner, who claimed Stokes had slandered them on his show in 2007. Stokes lost, and faced having to pay $3.8 million in damages, an amount that he claimed would have forced him out of business. To avoid paying, he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In April 2009, the Office of the U.S. Trustee asked that the filing be converted to a Chapter 7, claiming that Stokes hadn't disclosed all of his assets and debts. Stokes responded with a request to withdraw the filing. On September 21, 2009 bankruptcy judge Ralph Kirscher issued an order denying Stokes' request and granting the government's request to switch to a Chapter 7.[16][17]

In his ruling, Kirscher said Stokes had failed to disclose "literally millions of dollars" in assets and had not paid taxes in several years. Stokes was in the midst of his show when federal marshals and Flathead County sheriff's deputies arrived to seize the station; he simply thanked his listeners and signed off. Stokes himself said he'd been losing $40,000 per month operating the station.[18]

Station Status

[edit]
Representative Ryan Zinke (right) at KGEZ on October 22, 2025.

In July 2010, a local bankruptcy judge awarded a partial settlement to the Gardners in which they acquired KGEZ's assets (license, broadcasting facilities, and studio property) for $875,000 in cash. That sum is part of deal reducing the amount the Gardners were owed by Stokes to $1.5 million.[17]

In October 2010, John Stokes filed an appeal, challenging the settlement that transferred KGEZ's assets to Todd and Davar Gardner in July. The appeal, filed in U.S. District Court, states that the bankruptcy court erred when it approved the settlement.

The Gardners filed a "Resumption of Operations" notice with the FCC on September 8, 2010 via licensee Flathead Broadcasting, LLC.

Shortly after the Gardners took over ownership of the station, John Hendricks took charge of KGEZ's programming and operations under a local marketing agreement. He recruited longtime Flathead Valley broadcaster George Ostrom for on-air commentary. It returned to the air in late January 2011 with a marathon of 1950s’ and 1960s’ rock hits. Regular programming resumed on February 8, 2011. Originally airing oldies, Hendricks gradually expanded the station into a community-oriented full service station.[3] The Gardners have since sold the station to Hendricks, who formed the Flathead Valley Wireless Association to run it.

Translator

[edit]
Broadcast translator for KGEZ
Call signFrequencyCity of licenseFIDERP (W)HAATClassTransmitter coordinatesFCC info
K243CM 96.5 FMKalispell, Montana1387032500 m (0 ft)D48°10′33.9″N 114°21′0.2″W / 48.176083°N 114.350056°W / 48.176083; -114.350056LMS

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for KGEZ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ "AM Station Classes, and Clear, Regional, and Local Channels". December 11, 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Radio Station Return to its Roots". Flathead Beacon. February 10, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
  5. ↑ "July 1 Target Date Set For KGEZ-TV Broadcasts". The Daily Inter Lake. Kalispell, Montana. March 12, 1957. p. 6. Retrieved July 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "New KGEZ-TV Station Now In Operation". Kalispell News-Farm Journal. Kalispell, Montana. July 18, 1957. pp. 1, 6. Retrieved July 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Flathead TV And Frank Hemingway". Hungry Horse News. Columbia Falls, Montana. March 12, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "KGEZ-TV Will Leave Air". The Daily Inter Lake. Kalispell, Montana. April 1, 1958. p. 3. Retrieved July 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "KGEZ-TV Returns To Broadcasting". Hungry Horse News. Columbia Falls, Montana. April 1, 1958. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "KGEZ-TV advertisement". Kalispell News-Farm Journal. Kalispell, Montana. November 6, 1958. p. 4. Retrieved July 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "KULR advertisement". Kalispell News-Farm Journal. Kalispell, Montana. November 13, 1958. p. 4. Retrieved July 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Shuts Down". The Daily Inter Lake. Kalispell, Montana. May 28, 1959. p. 2. Retrieved July 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "KULR-TV Off Air". Hungry Horse News. Columbia Falls, Montana. May 29, 1959. p. 4. Retrieved July 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "First high power VHF TV translator is state station". Montana Standard-Post. Butte, Montana. October 9, 1965. p. 11. Retrieved July 6, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Winter 2008 Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  16. ↑ "Authorities Shut Down KGEZ". September 24, 2009.
  17. 1 2 "Stokes' radio station off the air". Daily Inter Lake. September 24, 2009. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Controversial Kalispell radio station goes silent as bankruptcy officers seize property".
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=KGEZ&oldid=1362860629"