The announcement came from KOGT owner Gary Stelly on his morning show Tuesday.
ORANGE, Texas – KOGT, a longtime locally produced radio station from Orange, will shut down permanently on Friday.
The moving announcement came from KOGT owner Gary Stelly on his morning show Tuesday.
He cited a number of factors, including the change of media, as the reason for all operations to stop.
“I can’t wait to look back on the KOGT Morning Show the next two mornings and have the opportunity to thank the people who have been there for us,” said Stelly.
Stelly was one of the first media operators in the region to start a website with KOGT.com, but he said radio had always been his top priority.
Stelly is an Orangefield High School graduate who worked at KOGT when he was in college. He then bought the station in 1992 from a small business out of town.
Over the years, their content has covered hurricanes, crime, sports, elections, scandals and, of course, music.
1600 KOGT began its first broadcast on Friday, Jan. 16, 1948. On that day, listeners heard local news, a basketball game from Stark High, Bing Crosby and organ music, according to the website. KOGT.
When KOGT started up, its antennas were set up on land at 5304 Meeks Drive, which at the time was three miles from the city limits of Orange, according to their website.
The first production studio was in a building owned by Joe Molley on 10th Street between Green and Elm avenues. Later, the studios moved to the downtown building across from the Fair Store in Main and Fifth.
Since then, all station operations have resumed at Meeks Drive, which is now surrounded by houses.
Many hosts and fans shared their farewell messages on Facebook after the announcement.
The voices and brains behind KOGT include Garry Stelly, Clay Williams, David Ingram, Iva Odom, Marty Monogue, Margaret Toal, Janet Johnson, Dan Perrine, Glenn Earle, Russ Ingram and Ralf Mims.