Virden Broadcasting will begin rearranging the formats at its recently acquired Macomb, IL cluster on Wednesday, August 26.
Country “Hot Country 104.7” WLMD Bushnell’s programming will move to what is now Alternative “95.9 The Buzz” WNLF as “Backroad Country 95.9“. Recent Western Illinois University graduate Tony Jones will join the station to host mornings.
104.7 WLMD will then flip to News/Talk assuming much of the programming currently heard on 1510 WLRB Macomb. The station will be rebranded “Macomb News Now 104.7” and will be paired with a local news site at MacombNewsNow.com in a few weeks. WLMD will supplement its syndicated talk offerings with ABC News, NBC Sports Radio, and Illinois Farm Bureau programming.
Later this year 1510 WLRB and its soon-to-launch translator 103.7 W279CR Macomb will launch a new Christian AC format. Unaffected by the changes are Hot AC “K100” 100.1 WKAI Macomb, Classic Rock “Classic 103” 102.7 WJEQ Macomb and Oldies 104.1 WMQZ Colchester.
Regional Media – Virden Broadcasting Macomb (formerly Prestige Communications) announced today that they plan to realign three stations within its newly acquired Macomb cluster. Changes include significantly improving the coverage area for its country station. Counties included in the new coverage are McDonough, Schuyler, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Knox, Brown, and Warren. WLMD 104.7 Hot Country, will move to 95.9 WNLF (formally the Buzz), and will become Backroad Country 95.9 featuring today’s country hits with yesterday’s favorites. Tony Jones, a recent graduate of Western Illinois University, will join the station hosting, The Detour with Tony Jones a local, high energy, community oriented country show from weekdays 6AM-10AM. Some of Tony’s recent accomplishments include four grand prize awards from the National Broadcasting Society national competition making him a great addition to the Regional Media family. Also partnered with Backroad Country 95.9, Nash Nights Live with Sean Parr, along with country star and radio host Kix Brooks with the American Country Countdown and Kicking it with Kix overnights.
“Backroad Country 95.9 is a tribute to our communities, small towns, and the people that make our area great! The area has needed a local presence in the country genre such as this!” said Kim Williams, Operations Director of Regional Media in Macomb. Backroad Country 95.9 will begin airing on 95.9 on August 26th, 2015.
Additional changes include 104.7 WLMD, 1510 WLRB, and the multi-media platform. 104.7 WLMD will become Macomb News Now 104.7 – featuring NBC Sports Radio Network, heavy agriculture coverage from the Illinois Farm Bureau, local community programming, along with local and nation news from ABC. Macomb News Now 104.7 will be an extension of Regional Media’s new interactive media news site MacombNewsNow.com set to launch in just a few weeks. Slated to be the area’s leading website for local news, weather, sports, and community events, MacombNewsNow.com will also feature regional, national, lifestyle, entertainment, and various other content sections. A highlight of the station will be the community program branded, The Discussion featuring local guests, newsmakers, dignitaries, and topical information impacting our communities.
Regional Media engineers are working on WLRB 1510 AM and plan to debut a new FM signal 103.7 FM as well as an improved 1510AM signal for WLRB. The programming will be contemporary Christian Music with coverage of McDonough County and beyond. More details will be released at a later date.
Earlier this week, Regional Media of Macomb launched MacombJobsNow.com, A local hiring site for employers and job seekers of the area, bringing a partnership to Macomb with national company RegionalHelpWanted.com.
Commenting on the changes, Regional Media – Virden Broadcasting President and CEO, Fletcher Ford said, “We’re thrilled with all of the improvements at Regional Media Macomb as it will provide a larger base for our listeners and advertisers. These changes will greatly enhance the station’s overall presence!”
