The visionary force behind RFD-TV and the Cowboy Channel died on May 18, 2024.
The C&I team wants to offer a farewell tribute to Patrick Gottsch, who passed away at age 70 on Saturday, May 18.
Gottsch — founder and president of Rural Media Group Inc., which is the parent company of RFD-TV, The Cowboy Channel, The Cowgirl Channel, and Rural Radio 147— was described as an out-of-the-box thinker and visionary.
“He always thought outside the box and wasn’t afraid to introduce new ideas that would grow the rural and western way of life,” reads the remembrance on The Cowboy Channel website. “At 70 years old, he continued to live life to the fullest and packed more experiences into a week than most people do in a lifetime.”
RFD-TV hailed Gottsch as “a champion of rural America, devoting more than half his life to empowering farmers and ranchers, giving them a voice at the table.”
“In the short time I’ve spent in the Western sports space this past year, I am glad to have had the opportunity to get to spend time with Patrick and hear the origins of Rural Media Group and so many stories of the rodeos, athletes, and fans he committed to serving,” says Deirdre Lester, CEO of Teton Ridge, the parent company of C&I. “His passion for rodeo culture, both domestic and abroad, was unparalleled and truly paved a path forward for the future of Western sports athletes, brands, and fans. His legacy is solidified in rodeo history and should be celebrated and honored.”
Gottsch was born and raised in Elkhorn, Nebraska, and grew up on his family’s farm and cattle-feeding operation, “where he learned first-hand the importance that rural America plays in the everyday lives of Americans.”
He attended Sam Houston State University in Texas, then moved to Chicago in 1977 and worked as a commodity broker on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange until 1982. Returning to Nebraska, he started E.T. Installations, which sold and installed C-band home satellites; in 1987 it was recognized as the nation’s largest privately owned home satellite retailer.
In March 1991, Gottsch moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where he served from 1992 to 1996 as the director of sales for Superior Livestock Auction, the first to introduce satellite video marketing to the livestock industry.
With the breadth and depth of these experiences, Gottsch developed the visionary idea of creating a 24-hour rural television network. He launched Rural Free Delivery Television (RFD-TV) in December 2000 on the DISH Network; the station expanded to DIRECTV in March 2002, with all major cable providers quickly following. Today, RFD-TV is available in more than 50 million homes nationwide.
Rural Media Group Inc. has since expanded to include RFD-TV The Magazine (2003), RFD HD (2008), Rural TV (2009), Rural Radio (2013) on SiriusXM Channel 147, The Cowboy Channel (2017), and The Cowgirl Channel. In May of 2020, The Cowboy Channel launched its OTT streaming platform, Cowboy Channel+.
Gottsch’s business legacy, Rural Media Group, Inc. is the world’s leading provider of multimedia content dedicated to the rural and Western lifestyle and to the mission of “reconnecting city with country.”
Reporting the sad news of his passing, Men’s Journal wrote, “There may not be an individual who has changed the course of the Western industry more than Patrick Gottsch.”
“Patrick was a huge advocate for the Western heritage,” says actor and C&I American Indian cultural consultant Mo Brings Plenty. “His boldness and bravery were a bright light for the nearly forgotten. His success was also rural America’s success.”
Patrick Gottsch spent almost four decades “shining a spotlight on rural America, farmers, ranchers and Western sports.” The Cowboy Channel shared that just last week he had enthusiastically cheered on the Women’s Rodeo World Championships, Kid Rock’s Rock ’N Rodeo, and the Professional Bull Riders World Finals.
We extend our condolences to the Gottsch family, who respectfully have requested their privacy at this time.
PHOTOGRAPHY: (All images) Courtesy of The Cowboy Channel
