Alas, poor Air America … we hardly knew you.

As of midnight last night, KOKE 1600 AM – the Air America affiliate for Austin – was sold by Border Media Partners to Encino Broadcasting, thus ending the tenuous tenure of progressive talk radio in Texas’ most liberal city. Jose J. Garcia, the managing partner (and the previous owner of KOKE before BMP purchased it) said the new format will be Mexican Norteño music.

BMP Austin market vice president Jerry Del Core said his company sold KOKE and some of its other Austin properties because they were lower-powered FM signals, and wanted to focus on its stations with stronger signals. He said BMP has no further plans to carry Air America in Austin.

This article appears in October 12 • 2007.

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