FM 100 KTEX will lose one of our own…

After 25 years of service to the Rio Grande Valley, The Patchman will be retiring from radio at the end of this year. His last day with us will be Tuesday December 31, 2019.

Since January 1995, Patches has been a friend to many of our listeners, a wake-up call in the morning, a friend on the street, an emcee at their community service event, an influencer, and that voice on the radio. He came to the Rio Grande Valley after realizing he had a creative talent. He has worked various shifts in radio, including on air, production, and public service. Through his career, he has worked for several radio owners, stations, and lots of different personalities. His first stint in South Texas was at ENERGY 99. He also spent time at K-FROG, while the majority of his radio career was at KTEX.

Before entering radio, Patchman worked in the operating room of a hospital in the St. Louis, Missouri area. After realizing he had an artsy and creative side to him, he decided to take up radio. After a recommendation & a roll of the dice to venture away from home, he packed his bags and moved to the Rio Grande Valley.

Patches quickly began to make acquaintances that even more rapidly became long lasting work friends and contacts. “I’ve never heard one bad comment about Patches,” said Jo-Jo Cerda, KTEX Morning Host & Program Director. “He is a positive person, humble and full of life, even when things are down,” Cerda continued. He has always been accepted by his work peers. He has established great working relationships with clients, including The Pena Eye Institute – Dr. Raul Pena, The Payne Auto Group, Bran Reed, Glory B’s, The Make A Wish Foundation, and many other community leaders.

One of the many talents that Patches has exampled is his work within the community. He has been the KTEX lead for projects including the St. Jude Radiothon This is a fundraising effort for kids who have cancer. This hospital has been very special to The Patchman. He has visited the hospital many times and has helped raise many hundreds of thousands of dollars through the years. Once a child is referred to this hospital, they never have to pay a cent back to St. Jude’s. The insurance pays their cut and the rest of the cost is covered through generous donations made by the general public and businesses. This has always been one of The Patchman’s favorite events and efforts.

Patches has also helped raise money for other community projects, including; Make-A-Wish, STARS, American Cancer Society, the Diabetes Association, Easter Seals, Teach The Children, The Harlingen Police 5k Run With The Heroes Walk and Run, The Food Bank, and countless others.

He will leave the KTEX Radio Ranch in pursuit of a life with his family. His wife Lisa, their kids, and grandkids will all be able to spend time together without having to worry about Patches having to wake up early to go to work, missing a family event because of work, or staying out late because of work. The world will all be his – at his disposal. He’ll probably still wake up early just because he is so used to it after all of these years.

“The Patchman” as he is affectionately known to all of the KTEX listeners will hang up his headphones after seeing this business transition through many phases. He went from playing records, to carts, CD’s, and now digitally, where all of the music is on hard drive. He went from manually scheduling music on 5x7 index cards to having a program schedule music on computer…from making a request on the request line to making a shout out on Facebook. The business has changed in so many ways throughout the years…

It is with mixed emotions that we see the Patchman exit the building for the final time. We are happy that he gets to spend time with the family that he loves, but on the other hand – his second family will miss him greatly. He has meant a lot to the broadcasting industry in the Rio Grande Valley. He has done tremendous work while he has been here. His efforts will live for a long time.

In appreciation of The Patchman’s work for KTEX and the RGV, we would like to invite you to a “Farewell Party!’ Everyone is invited to join us to say good-bye.

WHAT:

Farewell to The Patchman

-win KTEX shirts

-say your farewell and best wishes

-take pictures with Patches

-win tickets to see the Randy Rogers Band

-enjoy some pizza

-Play some Patchman Games…?

-KTEX Personalities will share some of their favorite Patchman moments

-special messages from some of the people that have worked with him

-Special Presentation :0

WHEN:

Monday December 30, 2019 from 5:30pm – 9pm…This event is free to the publicand a come and go as you wish event. Our special presentation will begin at 7pm

WHERE:

Stefano’s Brooklyn Pizzeria

4201 W. Business 83

Harlingen, Texas 78552

(956) 425-6281

Whether you know Patches personally or just listened to him on the radio - come out & say thanks! If you have any questions regarding this event, please reach out to Jo-Jo. His email is:jojocerda@iheartmedia.comWe’ll see you on the 30that Stefano’s… J

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