Marksville native purchases KAPB Radio

KAPB radio station in Marksville has been bought by an Avoyelles Parish native, who is excited to be back where it all began.

Todd Laborde and his wife, Julie, signed the papers on Feb. 6 to make the “dream come true” official.

“I was 16 years old when I cut grass here,” Todd said. “Chester Coco was the manager. One day I looked in and said ‘I’d sure like to do that.’”

And he did. As a teenager, Todd began working as a DJ part time and was bit by the radio bug.

“It’s taken 27 years to get to this point and I can’t believe I’m actually here, owning this,’” he said, spreading out his arms. “I’ve always loved this place.”

The first project Todd will work on at the station is beefing up the audio quality and performance by installing a new transmitter and working on the tower.

He also plans on tweaking the music that KAPB will offer. “It’s not going to change that much. We’re still classic country. I just want to bring KAPB into the modern age.”

There will be a remodeling and enlarging of the building itself, Todd said. Offices will be enlarged, paint and walls spruced up, things taken out, new things put in. Todd wants the building to look as professional as the radio waves will be.

One of the most important facets Todd wants to facilitate is to be more involved in the community.

“Whatever’s going on, we want to be there with a microphone,” he said. “Whatever we can do around the parish, community events and such, we want to be there.”

He also wants a website that will interact with the community.

Todd and Julie are well-prepared to take on the challenge of all the changes they want to bring to KAPB.

Their careers in government service provide more than an adequate foundation for the high tech world of modern radio. Todd has been an IT manager for 27 years. Julie, who Todd is counting on in the administrative area of the station, is an administrative support officer.

Todd’s parents are the late Mac and Patricia Laborde. He was born and raised in Marksville, graduated from Marksville High and attended college “at the school of hard knocks,” he noted with a smile. Julie was born and raised in Mansura and graduated from Mansura High School and Northwestern State University in Natchitoches. Her parents are the late Sarita Berlin and stepfather Donald Berlin, and her father, Milton Chatelain of Mansura.

According to Todd, the plan to purchase the station has been in the works for five years. Over the years it was sold to various owners, including New Orleans native Ken Sasso and later to Monroe broadcaster Tom Gay.

“The previous owner, Tom Gay, had a plan and wanted out in five years,” Todd said. “We went back and forth, talking and such. He called in August of 2016 and said he was ready.”

The Labordes currently reside in Virginia and Julie has five more years before she can retire. Todd has retired from government service but is presently engaged in government contract work. Todd plans to split his time between Avoyelles and Virginia until Julie retires and they can relocate to here. They plan to move back to Avoyelles and make their home in Mansura.

The ink is barely dry on the paperwork and they are already on air making commercials.

Todd plans to be on air, which ties him back to the days he was a teenager getting his first taste of radio.

At some point in the future -- when things are as grand as Todd envisions -- there will be a “grand re-opening.”

The station was started in 1955 by the late Chester Coco of Marksville and Buddy Bellups of Opelousas. It was the first and only station for Avoyelles until the 1980’s , when Louis Coco opened KLIL in Moreauville.

KAPB’s first office was on Mark Street, in downtown Marksville. It moved around 1971 to its present location on Chester Street.

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