Humphries agreed to buy the station for the assumption of its $175,000 in debt, and when he discovered another $125,000, he immediately filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.
In February 1988, the Federal Communications Commission approved an application to move KLLT to 103.7 MHz and increase power to 50 kW.
However, the United States Forest Service refused on two occasions to grant KLLT a land lease to construct the tower atop Mount Taylor that was necessary to carry out the improvements.
[5] However, KLLT's license continued to exist after Humphries took the station silent, a fact that would prove crucial to the course of events in another proceeding.
[5] Humphries contended that Fairmont was upset that KNMQ had lured top-rated morning show host Paul Sisneros from KKOB, and that the overlap between the two stations would only have occurred if KLLT had been moved to Mount Taylor.