Condolences: Matt Ganssle
• We want to extend our most sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of “Phat Matt” Ganssle, PD/afternoon personality on Alpha Media Country KYKX/Tyler-Longview, TX, who died on Friday, Oct. 27 following an extended battle with pneumonia. He was only 37 years old. A Friday post on the KYKX Facebook page read, “We are beyond saddened and in shock. Matt was a sweet soul with great talent. God bless the family.”
A message on the KYKX website reads, “The Ganssle family and the KYKX 105.7 family want to thank the listeners for your thoughts and prayers for Phat Matt. Phat Matt was from Kemp, Texas and enjoyed riding bulls, horses and general country boy debauchery. He played on the air all over America, including Dallas-Fort Worth, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and East Texas. Phat Matt’s favorite things to do were connecting with listeners on and off the air — He liked to have fun and lived life to the fullest in East Texas!”
Ganssle had returned home to Texas in Sept. 2015 from the OM/PD post at KSJJ/Bend, OR. Ganssle’s radio career had also taken him to KFRR/Fresno, KXTE/Las Vegas, KPLX/Dallas, KBWF/San Francisco and KKWF/Seattle, among others. Ganssle had also contributed his considerable imaging skills to the production heard on KUPL/Portland, OR as well as CMT’s After MidNite.
No services have been scheduled yet. Ganssle is survived by his parents, Betty and Fred Ganssle, sister Joanne and brother-in-law Marc Pritchard, who works in the traffic department at Lotus Active Rock KKBZ (105.1 The Blaze)/Fresno. Ganssle’s Facebook page has been filling up with remembrances from his many friends and radio colleagues.
