KURV fires 'Col. Ray'

McALLEN — Talk radio station 710 KURV has fired Ray Coughenour, the opinionated former U.S. Army officer who hosted “The Daily Report with Col. Ray.”

Coughenour announced the move at 6:23 p.m. Thursday — shortly after his broadcast ended — with a mass email reading: “It seems some people in the Rio Grande Valley do not appreciate people getting in their dirty business dealings.

“As of today I have been terminated by the radio station. So good luck, Valley, you will need it.”

Reached by telephone on Friday, Coughenour confirmed he’d been fired, but said an ongoing contract dispute prevented him from saying more. Management at BMP Radio, which owns 710 KURV and nine other radio frequencies in the Rio Grande Valley, didn’t return messages seeking comment.

In response to a comment on Facebook, the station’s official account responded: “We wish him the best.”

Davis Rankin, president of local public interest group Futuro McAllen and a regular fill-in for Coughenour, hosted Friday’s show, telling listeners he’ll be occupying the drive-time slot until further notice.

Coughenour, who went by Col. Ray on air, alternately entertained and infuriated Valley audiences with his eclectic opinions. He often focused on hot-button local issues with national implications, including illegal immigration and border violence.

While always strong and occasionally bombastic, Coughenour’s opinions didn’t hew a party line. On air, he strongly supported unions and questioned whether Americans have too many guns. He often irked local government and elected officials, who griped Coughenour hyped border violence and didn’t give them a fair shake.

Coughenour took a particular interest in the McAllen school district’s decision to spend $20.5 million on iPads and other Apple products for a new initiative.

“It was disturbing, because I know he had that topic at least four times,” said Erica de la Garza, a member of the school board. “And several times when I listened, he would say he tried to contact the board and that we wouldn’t respond, which wasn’t true.”

Coughenour is married to Madonna Coughenour, chief nursing officer at Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco. He previously hosted a talk radio program in Southern California, according to his biography, which has been removed from KURV.com.

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Dave Hendricks covers McAllen and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at dhendricks@themonitor.com and (956) 683-4452.