Long-time Las Cruces radio personality hangs up the headphones after 27 years at KGRT

Ernesto Garcia is a name – and a voice – that many radio listeners in Las Cruces and surrounding communities know well. He has been a fixture at KGRT Radio for the past 27 years.

Monday, April 11, was his last day with the station, as he begins a new job with the Greater El Paso Realtors Association in El Paso.

Garcia went to work for KGRT as a board operator and weekend on-air personality shortly after graduating from Mayfield High School in 1995. In the years since then, he has been a program director, music director and news director and conducted live remotes at events and activities all over town, covering news, sports, music, weather – whatever was going on in the community. His most recent title was operations manager for Adams Radio Group, which has owned KGRT and three other Las Cruces radio stations since December 2013.

Most recently, Garcia has been developing online and social media podcasts – which he called “the new golden age of radio” – and text messaging for his listeners.

Garcia said the three things he likely will remember the most from his time at KGRT are

• the 9/11 terrorists attacks – he was on the radio 5 a.m.-11 p.m. Sept. 11, 2001 “telling people what was going on” and providing constant news updates;
• the Covid-19 pandemic, during which he helped create the technology that allowed all radio station employees to work from home and stay safe; and
• Helping welcome county music superstar Garth Brooks to Las Cruces five years ago for five sold-out concerts.

“The demand for country music in this market is huge,” Garcia said. “It’s American music. It’s our music.”

Garcia said he also enjoyed meeting rising country music star Frank Ray, during a recent visit to Nashville. Ray was born in Deming and was a Las Cruces police officer for 10 years before changing careers. Garcia said Ray’s current single, “Country'd Look Good On You,” could propel the singer to the top of the charts.

Las Cruces native Bri Bagwell is another country music star on the rise, Garcia said.

Garcia said he will miss interacting with the people of Las Cruces, where he has lived since 1987. But he’s not leaving town. Garcia said he will continue to live in Las Cruces and will commute back and forth to El Paso for his new job.

“We have a great town,” he said. “It’s such a great place to live.”

“I will miss telling everybody what’s going on,” Garcia said. “I’m going to miss hearing someone say, ‘I heard what you said on the radio today.’”