Country music icon Garth Brooks is buying a radio station in Nashville, in the United States. His company, Sevens Network, is completing a $3 million acquisition of WRLT, an independent station known as “Lightning 100.”
A country format for Music City#
Brooks plans to turn the station into a country music format called “The New FM 100” (FM, frequency modulation). He describes it as “the voice of Music City, highlighting local/breaking news, and spinning the entire family of country music.”
“This is an opportunity to bring the entire family of country music together in one spot: the legends, the greats, and the future greats,” Brooks said. “Nashville is being called ‘The Newest City in America,’ and we want to bring a new kind of communication, combining terrestrial and digital radio, built to grow with this city.”
Programming and partnerships#
- Music: a mix of country music from the 1960s to the modern era
- Focus: public service
- Weather: a partnership with Nashville Secure Weather to broadcast weather alerts
- Local sectors: plans to work closely with the city’s convention and tourism sectors
Brooks said the station is not meant to compete with other Nashville channels and stations. Instead, he said, it aims to “promote what they have going on,” offering a service to Music City and its businesses.
Move of the Lightning 100 format#
The existing Lightning 100 format will move to Cromwell Media’s stations, 106.3 W292ED Franklin and 102.5 WPRT-HD3 Pegram. The Pegram station is currently a sports simulcast station. The new call letters for the change are pending.
Brooks on the purchase#
“I thought the post was current,” Brooks explained. “I was looking for a station for this idea I had about an information station for Nashville locals, visitors, and tourists. A country artist buying an indie-rock station made no sense. This way, the owner gets help in funding, the station lives on, while the new FM-100 finds a home in the middle of the FM dial.”
The singer said the station will emphasize public service.
