Utah broadcaster buys Pocatello radio station

Brad Iverson-Long//March 4, 2014//

Listen to this article

Freedom’s Voice Broadcasting has purchased a previously dormant radio transmitter, KPTO in Pocatello. Freedom’s Voice’s Tim Aalders hosts a midday talk radio show in Salt Lake City that will be broadcast on the Pocatello station. The new radio station is expected to launch in late April or May, Aalders said.

The transaction cost $75,000, but Aalders said adding a studio and hiring a local staff will bring costs up to $250,000. He said he plans to hire five to seven people for local morning and afternoon radio shows, as well as sales and management. He said he’s also looking to broadcasting local high school and college sports.

Aalder said Pocatello is a good fit for Freedom’s Voice, which is dedicated to the preservation of the freedoms and ideals as envisioned by The United States’ founding fathers.

“I knew Idaho was a very patriotic state, so that was our first expansion,” he said.

Freedom’s Voice purchased KPTO from Main Street Broadcasting, which had purchased the station in early 2013 from Legacy Media, which was in court-appointed receivership at the time.

Aalders said he is in talks to acquire the Utah station where his talk show is broadcast, KTKK in Sandy, as well as other Utah stations and stations in Georgia