After a quarter of a century of dedicated and enthusiastic service, it is bittersweet that we announce his retirement.
A true engineer and one willing to take risks, Karl can take pieces and parts and create unexpected and magical experiences. Just to name a few of the impactful things Karl has done for KRVS:
- Karl oversaw the design and construction of the Cypress Lake Studio at UL Lafayette and ensured that the sound of this station on all its platforms performed at the highest quality.
- He was one of the many hosts of the Dirty Rice show at the beginning of its long, successful run. Likewise consistently engineered live festival, concert, and political debate broadcasts all year.
- Indeed, his time on Dirty Rice became the launching point for live broadcasting on KRVS. Karl found a small transmitter and decided to start broadcasting live from Grant Street Dancehall during the show. Once David Spizale, General Manager at the time discovered this, broadcasting Acadiana’s music live became a standard part of operations.
- During the COVID lockdown, Karl trained program hosts to produce radio shows from home. Ensuring that KRVS remained a reliable source of entertainment, education, and community.
Karl Fontenot has been a pillar of this station's success and also its very own oral storyteller, providing everyone with endless knowledge on all things music, radio, and engineering related - to scratch the surface of his extensive knowledge base.
You can listen to his tales in our 60th Anniversary Podcast.
For all that and more, Karl, we thank you so much and wish you a wonderful retirement!