Wooster radio dropping pro, OSU sports coverage

Wooster radio dropping pro, OSU sports coverage
                        

Country music, professional sports and most college sports will soon be things of the past on WQKT radio, thanks to its recent sale. High school sports, though, should still be around at the Wooster station long known as Sports Country.

That’s according to Bill Montgomery, president and CEO of River Radio Ministries, which acquired WQKT 104.5 FM and Classic Hits 960 AM WKVX in early November for $3.05 million, according to radioinsight.com.

“I will tell you what I know,” Montgomery said. “We are absolutely pursuing multiple options to keep high school sports as a part of the group. We see that as a very unique service that the group provides for the community. We desire to keep that. Nothing will change through this school year. And we should know more by the end of the school year as to what that’s going to look like going forward.”

That could mean several things. High school sports could continue on WQKT as they have for as long as local people can remember. They could move to a streaming format, which is becoming a more and more common means of delivering high school content.

Montgomery said RRM will need to consider all the various channels available and make sure whatever delivery method it chooses is financially viable.

“Our goal is to keep it on terrestrial radio, a way it can be heard by anybody, as well as radio and video streaming,” he said.

On the other hand, Montgomery said what hadn’t previously been made public — “Sometimes you have to just rip the Band-Aid off,” he said. The broadcasts of major college sports (Ohio State) and professional sports (Cleveland market teams) will discontinue.

“All those sports are available in the markets we’re in, and we’ll list where people can hear those things on our website,” Montgomery said. “We have no plan to change coverage of The College of Wooster.”

RRM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit company. Because of that, Montgomery said it cannot maintain contracts to broadcast professional and major college sporting events. WQKT will finish the current Ohio State basketball and Cleveland Cavaliers seasons, then discontinue its coverage of major sports.

Montgomery said the overall format of WQKT will change from country music to contemporary Christian music. No date has been determined for that to be implanted, but it could be as soon as this spring, once the Cavs season is over.

“That is what our organization is known for,” Montgomery said of Christian music. “That’s what we do. That’s why we liked this opportunity. We know people can get country music a lot of places. We’re trying to give them something not a lot of other places give them and still serve the community.”

Montgomery said decisions are ongoing where staffing is concerned. Kelly Gearhart, general manager at WQKT, will stay on as RRM’s Wooster market manager.

“Basically, we’re assessing all of our needs,” Montgomery said. “It’s premature to say what that means.”

The station will continue on as WQKT, which Montgomery indicated is an important consideration.

“The call letters will remain the same, at least at present,” he said. “Those are heritage call letters. It’s been that forever. At some point it will become The River.”

Once details are ironed out at WQKT, changes also will occur at WKVX. Montgomery said that station will likely go in a different direction than what it is now, which is a pop-rock hits station, playing mostly music from days gone by.


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