KNYE Gets Needed Help

Ramona Bell at KNYE



Karen Jackson, the new Station Manager of KNYE, 95.1 FM, in Pahrump, Nevada, has a lot of career experience and success in many areas of business. But not in running a radio station.

A friend of Ramona Bell, Ms. Jackson took on the prodigious job of running KNYE when Art Bell left the country to marry a 23-year-old Filipina he met on the internet, before his wife of 15 years, (and owner of KNYE) Ramona had been in her grave 10 weeks.

Not coming from a radio background and needing some help with learning the ‘ropes’, Ms. Jackson called on two experienced Radio engineers; HAMS and former friends of Art & Ramona Bell whom Ms. Jackson had met on their prior visits to Pahrump, KNYE, and the Bell’s home. She requested them to facilitate her ‘learning curve’ with the needed new radio skills.

Greg Sousa W6EZV, was in Pahrump from May 15th to the 19th, 2006. Jim Watkins KI6GU, was in Pahrump from May 16th to the 18th, 2006. They taught Ms. Jackson how to use and adjust Adobe Audition, among other things.

They also took KNYE ‘live’ and took questions from listeners. Below are pictures of them on-air.


Greg Sousa


Jim Watkins









I have no idea what Greg Sousa was paid, but Jim Watkins supplied me with a copy of his paycheck, before cashing it:

This was apparently an agreeable arrangement all around. Ms. Jackson got the help and tutoring she felt she needed, and Greg Sousa and Jim Watkins earned a few extra bucks (probably not enough to pay for their gasoline) and were able to help out, in Ramona’s name.

The only fly in the ointment turned out to be Paul Bowman W7MAG, who it would seem, became enraged when he found a picture of Jim Watkins KI6GU, working at KNYE on his http://www.hamcams.com/ that Greg Sousa W6EZV, had posted. He ‘bumped’ Greg’s HamCams spot almost immediately.

This development was surprising, but not, to me. Does Paul Bowman feel he is Art Bell‘s business manager? Has he been legally given ‘carte blanche’ over Arts affairs (what a pun)? Art Bell hired Ms. Jackson, and he is her ‘boss’, not Paul Bowman.

Much more likely, was Paul just angry in a petty sort of way, to see a picture of Jim Watkins on his precious HamCams page, when Art Bell had directed him to ban Jim from the popular site? After all, it IS his site, or at least he hosts and maintains it per original request from Art Bell, so he can do what he wants with it. He can pick and choose who may use it, but in doing so, he lets the rest of the world see his nasty feelings in an unintended way.

I for one am glad to see KNYE, one of Ramona’s pet projects, being cared for so professionally, (even if it is making Art Bell more money), by Ms. Jackson. Congrats to Ms. Jackson, Jim Watkins, and Greg Sousa for doing the right thing! Finally, I think Ms. Jackson hired the right people for the job; KNYE’s audio sounds much better now...