Update 7/11: After returning to the air with Oldies, Tri-State Radio has flipped 1070 WFLI to Conservative Talk.
The new WFLI lineup will include syndicated talkers Rick & Bubba, Laura Ingraham, Dave Ramsey, Eric Metaxas and Todd Starnes. It will also include news headlines from WDEF-TV and some Oldies programming including a daily “Hits & Headlines” program that will mix news and music. The Marion County Messenger reports that former WRCB-TV Sports Director Randy Smith will join WFLI to host a show and do local high school play-by-play for the station. A local outdoors show hosted by Pat Rose will also be added.
Owners Evan Stone and Marshall Bandy also intend to convert the station’s studios into a national Top 40 radio museum.
Update 7/10: Following its $100,000 acquisition by Evan Stone and Marshall Bandy’s Tri-State Radio, WFLI has returned with an Oldies format.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that WFLI is playing blocks of six 1960s songs followed by seven 1970s songs in honor of the station’s heritage.
Original Report 3/23: Another day and another AM station is going dark.
WFLI Inc. Southern Gospel 1070 WFLI Lookout Mountain/Chattanooga TN will cease operations on March 31. The station has been in the possession of the Benns family since its sign-on in 1962 and became the powerhouse Top 40 for Chattanooga throughout the 1960s and 70s. Station co-founder Billy Benns also built and launched other heritage stations throughout the south including 690 WVOK Birmingham (now WJOX), 690 WAPE Jacksonville, and 740 WBAM Montgomery (now WMSP) with the Brennan Brothers.
Eric Jon Magnuson
A tweet today by Rick Burgess (of Rick & Bubba) suggests that the actual new format debuts tomorrow (Tuesday), and will include both his show (in late mornings) and Dave Ramsey’s (in early afternoons)…
https://twitter.com/bigvox/status/884448938975277056
(That said, the tweet was made before this afternoon’s planned press conference, which was mentioned in the source article.)
Per that press conference, the new format is mostly Talk (local in morning drive)–but also with some dedicated Oldies programming (especially on weekends). What’s more interesting is that the new owners plan to create a Top 40 museum within the station’s building.
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/life/entertainment/story/2017/jul/11/wfli-announces-new-format-museum/437643