Well, it looks like these two stations won't be going anywhere after all. Here's a press release that came out today:
When we became aware that our local radio station WAVJ would be closing we were shocked and saddened. We immediately saw the outpouring of community concerns in the Times Leader newspaper article along with Social Media communications. We, like others, realize how important tuning in for the local news and weather is for the whole community. We understand how much the community enjoys listening to the live local events, especially the sporting events. Most importantly, we know how much the community depends on the radio station when it comes to emergencies and disaster relief. After reflecting on how instrumental the station was during the ice storm, blizzards, tornadoes and other natural disasters we decided that we must try to save our local radio station. We know that having a local radio station broadcasting during emergencies can save lives and we must do everything in our power to make that happen. Therefore we reached out to some close friends to explore the option of purchasing the local station.
We are happy to report that after doing a lot of research and working with Commonwealth Broadcasting we were able to negotiate a deal so that Princeton and most of Caldwell County will have a local radio station to rely on. We hope that the signal will carry to other neighboring counties as well. WPKY will be broadcasting soon on AM & FM frequencies. Since our negotiations, Dann & Jaye Lynn Hughes and Lucinda Hughes Gray shared their support and have agreed to assist in this venture. If approved by the FCC, Joe & Kathy McEnaney along with Dann & Jaye Lynn Hughes and Lucinda Hughes Gray ( Tiger Media LLC ) will be co-owners of WPKY AM/FM “THE TIGER”.
As McDonald’s Restaurant Operators, we have had certain core people principles instilled in us. One of the Core Principles we live through McDonald’s is Community Support and Involvement. We know the same can be said of the Chevrolet Dealer Owner principles. Therefore, we felt like this venture was the right thing to do for our community. However, WPKY “ The Tiger” will be a separate business and will not receive financial support from McDonald’s or Trice Hughes. In order for WPKY AM/FM “THE TIGER” to operate and continue broadcasting they must be self-sustaining. Therefore, the management and staff of WPKY AM/FM “THE TIGER” will be launching an aggressive advertising campaign along with other ideas that will help the station operate in a positive and productive manner on a month to month basis.
We, along with Dann, Jaye Lynn and Lucinda are thrilled that we have been blessed with the means and the opportunity to help keep Princeton and Caldwell County and our neighboring communities informed and entertained but most importantly safe when emergencies and disasters occur.
Caroline Garcia will be heading up the team at WPKY AM/FM “THE TIGER” as station manager. Jordan Lee Dunn will be lead technology guru, special events and local sports engineer. Long-time radio veteran, Shirley Boyd Gray will be the senior sales executive. We look forward to adding more team members when we get to full broadcasting levels. We intend to bring back some of the local programming favorites including Saturday Swapper. We are targeting the first week of October to return to regular LOCAL, programming on AM airwaves with an FM frequency to be added later this Fall. In the meantime, WE WILL BE BROADCASTING TIGER FOOTBALL GAMES.
The transferring of ownership of a radio station is complex and will take time and be subject to an approval process. Through the transition, Commonwealth Broadcasting, Inc. has been gracious enough to allow us to begin broadcasting ALL Caldwell County Tiger football games, including the David Barnes Coach’s show, pregame and post game on WPKY 1580 AM beginning this Friday.
Additionally, the station will be streaming the games online as well as premiering “THE TIGERS’ EYE”, a webcam that will provide online viewing of the games.
Tiger football fans can listen via the Tune In App on iOS, Android, or Windows Phone by searching for "WPKY Online". Fans can also listen via the Radio tab on our Facebook page "WPKY Online" and watch the webcast via a link that will be posted on the Facebook page this Friday afternoon.
We truly look forward to bringing our community a local radio station that we can all be proud of. Once again, a big “THANK YOU” to Commonwealth Broadcasting, Inc. for assisting us through this transition.
Joe & Kathy McEnaney
Dann & Jaye Lynn Hughes
Lucinda Hughes Gray
Caroline J. Garcia
