KTHO radio enters partnership with Coyote Grill owner

Imagine a place at Lake Tahoe where local bands can go to play, with quality sound and lighting — and live performances streamed across the Internet to be potentially heard around the world.
That vision could become a reality this year under a new partnership between Coyote Grill owner Leland Faegre and South Lake Tahoe-based KTHO radio.

Faegre now owns a roughly 20 percent stake in the radio station after buying a portion of the corporation's stock. The deal was announced this week.

Darrell Wampler, who purchased KTHO in 2009, remains majority owner. Marty Kuhrt, the voice of the "Marty 'til Midnight" show, is another minority partner. The station's format is "local talk and classic rock."

The new partnership between KTHO and Faegre comes as the Coyote Grill is on the verge of expanding at its current location at the Round Hill Square shopping center. The plans include an entertainment venue.

That meshes well with Wampler's vision of bringing live music broadcasts to KTHO, also known as K-Tahoe radio. In addition to performances by local bands, open mic nights, and comedy, KTHO plans to broadcast live from Round Hill Square several times a week. Panel discussions on local topics are a possibility.

“We are always working on the 'next big thing' at K-Tahoe," Wampler said in a written statement. "Being associated with Leland and the Coyote Grill gives us an inspired partner and a wonderful opportunity to expand our on-air presence with a live, local enhancement."

Having a presence at Round Hill Square will help "break down that wall that exists between us and the listeners," Wampler told the Monitor. "It makes it more real for people."

Wampler noted that since KTHO streams live on the Internet, local performers would have a potentially worldwide audience.

Faegre said he'd like to make videos of open-mic acts, giving performers a DVD to take home so they can analyze their work.

Coyote Grill's plans go beyond the KTHO partnership.

In addition to creating a live performance space, Faegre has applied for a license for up to 15 gaming machines.

He'd also like to expand the line-up of coffee drinks, working with Gardnerville-based Blind Dog Coffee. Round Hill Square has lacked a coffee shop since the closing several years ago of Not Just Java.

Faegre purchased Coyote Grill in 2009. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and is known for its Charity Chili nights on Thursdays, when a portion of proceeds goes to a local nonprofit.

Faegre and Wampler both have connections to the Los Angeles radio market going decades back. But they didn't meet until recently. Wampler's career includes a stint as program director at KROQ in Southern California after high school. The long-time broadcaster is known on-air as The Insane Darrell Wayne.

Faegre is a musician and composer who has avidly followed radio most of his life. His father worked in radio advertising in the Los Angeles area.
The two were introduced by Lake Tahoe radio veteran Bill Kingman, who started his career at KPPC in Los Angeles.

Faegre described the meeting with Wampler as "long overdue, fateful and as though we had known each other most of our lives which in a way, we had."

The partnership is just the latest change for KTHO, which has been evolving rapidly since Wampler bought the station three years ago. At that time, all programming came from Dallas, there was no on-air revenue and the station had one employee.

Since then, KTHO has moved twice — first from the Swiss Chalet Village to the Ski Run Marina, and then to Heavenly Village. KTHO now has eight to 10 employees, and programming is primarily local. An FM transmitter was acquired so listeners can tune in to AM 590 AM or 96.1 FM.

A Web site with live streaming radio was launched.

In addition to KTHO's main studio at Heavenly Village, there are now satellite studios at the Horizon Casino Resort and the Boatworks Mall in Tahoe City.

— The Tahoe Business Monitor is published twice each month in print. Pick up a copy inside Safeway stores in South Lake Tahoe or Round Hill. Or look for the black news boxes outside Grocery Outlet or at the "Y" shopping center in South Lake Tahoe.