Several days ago, Hunt Communications, LLC, licensee of AM station WDXI 1310 AM and translator W278CL 103.5 FM in Jackson, filed an application for assignment of license with the Federal Communications Commission. Programming has changed from oldies to news-talk, branded as "News Talk West Tennesssee". These stations are in addition to WBFG 96.5 FM in Lexington, TN that flipped from ESPN radio in 2023.
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WDXI (Jackson, TN)
- Thread starter AMFMKYTN
- Start date
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
As champions of the Oldies format take another hit to their already fragile psyches ...
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
It seems to me that the new owners are trying to corner the market on Talk stations, given their flip of WBFG earlier this year.
I wish the stations in Jackson would get out of the News/Talk obsession. 
What do you think they should program instead?I wish the stations in Jackson would get out of the News/Talk obsession.
I'm not exactly sure, but we definitely don't need another news/talk station. At least it's on AM this time.
And an FM translator
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Anytime a music format is dumped for talk, I have to presume the music was appealing to a non-saleable demo. I don't know much about the Jackson market but I would presume that all the major format holes are filled. These days, Oldies is one of the "last chance" music formats.
News Talk in the Jackson area already includes WNWS 101.5, as well as WTJS 93.1 in nearby Alamo. There are also some Sports Radio formats in the area.
A little history: After 80-something years in use, Forever Communications decided to change the the WTJS call sign (1390 AM) to WLLI for a few years (to match the country music they had on at the time) and to the current WJKF calls several years ago (when they flipped formats again). The WTJS call sign was then picked up by Grace Broadcasting in Alamo. The original WTJS in Jackson went on in 1931, with WDXI AM on in 1948.
A little history: After 80-something years in use, Forever Communications decided to change the the WTJS call sign (1390 AM) to WLLI for a few years (to match the country music they had on at the time) and to the current WJKF calls several years ago (when they flipped formats again). The WTJS call sign was then picked up by Grace Broadcasting in Alamo. The original WTJS in Jackson went on in 1931, with WDXI AM on in 1948.
There are definitely holes in the market, K.M., but with the current ownership groups they'll never be filled.
Forever is very staid, owned by principals all well into their 70s and not local, Southern Stone is owned by Paul Stone and run like they have for 30+ years, and then you have Grace Broadcasting and the WBFG group doing dueling NewsTalk formats. WBFG is run by Dan Reaves, who, for anyone not local, is central to a lawsuit that saw Grace forced to buy WNWS FM, then he split from Grace to go into competition with them. Grace seems intent to run every form of conservative talk there is to counterprogram even more conservative talk from Reaves. Reaves needed the AM/Fx combo to get a listenable signal in Jackson, because WBFG will never be a good signal anywhere west of the Christmasville exit east of Jackson.
There is room for a Classic Country, Top 40, Hot AC, Adult Hits, Urban Gospel. Take your pick. I'm very familiar with the market, having been in this area since 1971. Trust me, there is nothing that's going to change with the current ownership groups in charge.
Warmath is hiding under a rock somewhere with a gila monster, and Freeland would only unload WWDX if someone wants WEIO with it. Everything Freeland has has transferred to the next generation, so I have no idea how eager they are to continue operating Huntingdon from Benton KY.
When stations like WIRJ come up in discussion... it makes me wonder..... do they know or care theyre breaking the FCC law by not being on air?
and before you say.. come on..... really.. ive run across some station operators who believe some wild things (i worked for one.. brian dodge)
Wether they know/care.. why do they hold onto the license and not use it. .broke...? thinking its worth more than it is? hoping someone will come along and buy it? (Yet theyre not marketing it for sale ,etc)
I wonder what the story is in situations like this
Do they have silent STAs on file with the FCC?
Just like you speculated. In this case, Warmath has had the station for years, and believes that it's worth WAY more than it really is, and that it is, at this point, just a possession to show off to people. "Well, Bill, I own a Radio station in Tennessee. Yes waiter, split the bill 4 ways, Anywho, I'm a media mogul". You know, something to 'impress' people who don't know Radio.
Are you kidding? That would mean spending money on lawyers and filing fees. Screw that. You know how expensive it is to eat at Denny's nowadays?
I think Warmath has been retired for some time. The family's "1 Tennessee" cable and internet company in Humboldt (where WIRJ was once housed) was being run by John F. Warmath, Jr., the third-generation President of the company. They decided to sell to Spectrum several months ago. With that said, how do you "forget" you have a radio station?
The last time I heard WWDX in Huntingdon on was several months ago, and it was simulcasting WEIO. WEIO still includes WWDX in their hourly station ID.
The last time I heard WWDX in Huntingdon on was several months ago, and it was simulcasting WEIO. WEIO still includes WWDX in their hourly station ID.
In Jackson, there's a Adult hit/Variety station that used to be an oldies station years ago that used to be Kool 103 which is now called Kool Mixx 103.1 (WMXX) and also there's Adult Contemporary formatted station "Star 107.7" (WHHM-FM) in Jackson as well.
WMXX 103.1 is/was Hunt's "main" station in Jackson, and wasn't included with this recent sale. They've been playing less oldies lately, with more 80s/90s/AC added in.
WHHM-FM 107.7 usually flips to Christmas music each year from around Thanksgiving to Christmas. Seems to me that would be a good time for 103.1 to add in even more AC, and maybe songs they haven't been playing, that can be heard on 107.7.
There have been a number of stations in Tennessee (including at least one that I once worked for) that have done that.
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