Marfa Public Radio pushing ahead with KOCV work

Marfa Public Radio General Manager Tom Michael told the Odessa (Texas) American that he hopes to re-launch public radio in Midland and Odessa by spring. In December 2011, Marfa finalized its purchase of KOCV-FM radio from Odessa College for $150,000 and another $150,000 in sponsorships over 10 years (background, Current, Aug. 8, 2011). Michael said the tower will be moved from the college campus to Gardendale, to bring back listeners who have seen the signal fade since the 1980s. "We’ve begun the construction phase of the project,” he said. “It took us a lot to get to this stage and I’m looking forward to get this up and running.” For now, the station will be operated out of Marfa but localized to Midland and Odessa. The station also will hire one full-time development manager and a part-time operations staffer.