KGEZ is Montana's second-oldest station, and the oldest in the Flathead. It first signed on in 1927. The station was assigned these call letters by the Federal Communications Commission. Currently, the station airs a full service format consisting of almost entirely locally originated programming, a rarity for stations in a market this small. 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." Its flagship program was a conservative-oriented talk show hosted by Stokes.
Seizure
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, bankruptcy judge Ralph Kirscher issued an order denying Stokes' request and granting the government's request to switch to a Chapter 7. 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.
Station Status
In July 2010, a local bankruptcy judge awarded a partial settlement to the Gardners in which they acquired KGEZ's assets for $875,000 in cash. That sum is part of deal reducing the amount the Gardners were owed by Stokes to $1.5 million. 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. The Gardners have since sold the station to Hendricks, who formed the Flathead Valley Wireless Association to run it.
