Patrick Gottsch

Patrick Gottsch (June 3, 1953 – May 18, 2024) was an American media executive. He was the founder of Rural Media Group, which includes RFD-TV.

Early life Patrick Gottsch was born on June 3, 1953, in Omaha to Bernard Gottsch, a farmer, and Gloria Gottsch (née Borowiak). He was raised on a farm in Elkhorn, Nebraska. He attended Sam Houston University on a baseball scholarship for one year until leaving due to a hand injury. He worked as a farmer, commodities broker, and satellite dish installer.

Broadcasting career In 1988, Gottsch started RFD-TV, which aired news, weather, agribusiness and market reports. The channel went into bankruptcy a year later, as no cable network would carry the station.

Gottsch died on May 18, 2024, at a hotel in the Fort Worth Stockyards district, aged 70. He was succeeded in leadership of Rural Media Group by his two eldest daughters, Raquel Gottsch Koehler and Gatsby Gottsch Solheim.