| City of license | Kalispell, Montana |
|---|---|
| Branding | Z-600 The Edge |
| Frequency | 600 kHz |
| First air date | 1927 |
| Format | Oldies |
| Power | 5,000 watts (day) 1,000 watts (night) |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 60575 |
| Affiliations | Fox Sports |
| Owner | Todd Gardner (Flathead Broadcasting, LLC) |
KGEZ (600 AM, "Z-600 The Edge") is a radio station licensed to serve Kalispell, Montana.
From 2000 to 2009, it was owned by conservative activist John Stokes, and aired a News/Talk format.[1] Its flagship program was a conservative-oriented talk show hosted by Stokes.
The station was assigned these call letters by the Federal Communications Commission.[2]
KGEZ is Montana's second oldest station, and the oldest in the Flathead. It first signed on in 1927.[3]
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On September 24, 2009; KGEZ went silent after being seized by the United States Bankruptcy Court for Montana. In the spring of 2008, 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, bankruptcy judge Ralph Kirscher issued an order denying Stokes' request and granting the government's request to switch to a Chapter 7.[4][5]
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. It is not known when or if the station will return; Stokes himself said he'd been losing $40,000 per month operating it.[6]
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. [5]
In October 2010, John Stokes has filed an appeal, challenging the settlement that transferred KGEZ radio station assets to Todd and Davar Gardner in July. The appeal, filed in U.S. District Court, states that a federal bankruptcy court erred, when it approved the settlement.
As of this writing (October 2010), KGEZ is back in business. A "Resumption of Operations" notice was filed with the FCC, and signed September 8, 2010. The files show Todd Gardner as owner (Flathead Broadcasting, LLC).
Shortly after the Gardners took over ownership of the station, John Hendricks took charge of KGEZ's programming and operations. 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. The station currently has an oldies format, but Hendricks wants to add a greater variety of programming. [3]
John Stokes is currently streaming a radio show on the Internet. He still maintains the site he originally designed for the station.
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