Following their $3,050,000 acquisition of Country/Sports 104.5 WQKT Wooster OH earlier this year, River Radio Ministries has set a May 1 date for the station’s flip to its Christian AC brand.
WQKT will become “104.5 The River” mostly simulcasting the brand heard on commercially operated 104.9 WCVO Gahana/Columbus and three non-commercial stations in Central Ohio. The station will retain its daily “Farm Hour” hosted by Ron Hamilton from 5-6am, while the daily “Morning Edition” local newscast will move to sister Classic Hits 960 WKVX Wooster. River Radio Ministries intends to keep carrying local high school and College of Wooster sports on the stations, but will drop professional sports.
WQKT will fulfill some of its contractual obligations with the remainder of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers season continuing on the station past the format change, and MLB’s Cleveland Guardians will air on WQKT and WKVX through the month of April.
RRM President/CEO Bill Montgomery said, “he WQKT format is changing, but the heart for serving the community will not! We’re excited to continue serving our local farmers and the agriculture community with the important information that drives the ag economy”
WQKT covers a wide swath of Northern Ohio including Akron, Canton, Dover/New Philadelphia, Mansfield, and some of Cleveland’s southern suburbs.
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com