Civic Media has closed on its purchase of 1100 WISS Berlin/98.3 W252DR Oshkosh WI and has flipped it to Liberal Talk “Air Support Radio“.
The company paid Thomas Boyson’s Hometown Broadcasting $700,000 to acquire the signals, which had been simulcasting Oldies “The Bug” 102.3 WAUH Wautoma. The new brand will feature the Liberal Talk lineup that Civic Media is rolling out on many of its stations it is acquiring across the state and will also carry Milwaukee Brewers baseball.
Civic Media has also announced the additions of Roxanne Charles as Vice President and Regional Sales Director and Terry Bell as News Director. Charles has served as General Manager for Midwest Communications in Duluth and Wausau among other sales positions. Bell served as anchor of Morning Edition for Wisconsin Public Radio from 1999 to 2015 and later held news stints at iHeartMedia and Learfield.
Civic Media celebrates its expansion into the Fox Valley with the purchase of WISS 1100 AM 98.3 FM, and the relaunch of the station as Oshkosh Air Support: News, Talk, Brewers.
“Civic Media is ecstatic to add WISS, a heritage station in the Fox Valley and the home of the Milwaukee Brewers, to our network. We thank Tom and Joanne Boyson from Hometown Broadcasting for giving us this opportunity. I love everything about how Tom makes radio and hope to emulate his success,” said Mike Crute, President of Civic Media.
WISS is just the latest in a series of station acquisitions for Civic Media, following the recent addition of WXCE and WDMO in the St. Croix Valley, WBZH in Hayward, and WRCO and WRCE in Richland Center. The growing network now has nine stations broadcasting across the state, and several others awaiting FCC approval.
“Civic Media would also like to thank WBA Hall of Famer Ron Fruit and his wife Beth,” said Crute, “for allowing us to continue their community serving legacy in Richland Center.” Civic Media is preserving WRCO’s “Country and Community” format while changing the WRCE AM and FM translator to a News/Talk format, “News from the Center.” “We also thank Marcus Jaeger for his friendship and good will in the purchase of his stations in Wisconsin Rapids and Nekoosa,” Crute continued, in reference to WFHR and WIRI, which joined the network in August.
“Hometown radio that centers local communities is the foundation of our model,” said Sage Weil, CEO of Civic Media. “We believe that radio has a crucial role to play in our state by focusing our attention on what is happening here at home, where local and regional issues have an out-sized impact on our lives.”
“We believe radio has a crucial role to play in helping local communities stay connected,” added Weil, “but we aim to meet listeners wherever they are. All of our stations are available to stream online via connected cars, phones, and smart speakers, while our shows are available immediately after broadcast on popular podcasting platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts.”
Civic Media is dedicated to providing quality broadcast and digital hometown radio with a focus on local, regional, and state issues, covering the stories that are most relevant to the communities we serve. We believe radio plays a crucial role in our local communities, so we broadcast quality local news, local sports, and open, honest commentary that advances the understanding and engagement of our audience.
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Civic Media is expanding its executive team in support of its growing state-wide network of hometown radio stations by filling both the lead sales and news director roles.
This week Roxanne Charles joins the Civic Media executive team as Vice President and Regional Sales Director. Ms. Charles brings an exemplary resume, a history of sales success in the state, and Wisconsin roots to the position.
“We are thrilled to be joined by Roxanne,” said Sage Weil, CEO of Civic Media. “She brings extensive experience in radio sales, and has built successful teams in multiple Wisconsin markets.”
Civic Media also welcomes Terry Bell as News Director. Mr. Bell will cover the Wisconsin State Government, where he has many years of reporting experience. He will also be managing and building our growing team of local reporters and news staff across the state to bring timely and relevant local news coverage to our listeners.
“Terry understands the importance of independent, fact-based journalism, and asked all the right questions and set all of the right boundaries when we approached him for this role,” said Weil. “We are delighted to have such an experienced professional take the lead on this critical aspect of our broadcast service.”
Civic Media is dedicated to providing quality broadcast and digital hometown radio with a focus on local, regional, and state issues, covering the stories that are most relevant to the communities we serve. We believe radio plays a crucial role in our local communities, so we broadcast quality local news, local sports, and open, honest commentary that advances the understanding and engagement of our audience.
