By By ANDY HAMILTON / Dowagiac Daily News
NILES – Local radio programming on WNIL 1290 will end by 2007.
That announcement came Wednesday morning from Gloria Cooper during her daily radio talk show, "Gloria's Place."
The talk radio pioneer who daily addresses news in the Niles and Buchanan area with local guests and open phone lines also said following the show she submitted her resignation to Federated Media.
"We are not going off the air because we're on satellite. But broadcasting and programming as we know it now with 'RC in the Morning' and 'Swap Shop' and 'Gloria's Place' is probably going to cease by the end of the year," Cooper said Wednesday shortly after her show. "It's an economic thing that happens to many AM stations."
WNIL went public with the news without first notifying Federated Media the announcement was being made. Federated Media of Elkhart, Ind. is an independent multi-media company that broadcasts for WNIL.
Cooper said the decision to announce the end of local programming was made Wednesday morning after talking with 'RC In the Morning Show' host, Ric Clingaman. The scheduled guests for 'Gloria's Place' were unable to make the show, and Cooper also learned that Wednesday marked the 50th anniversary of WNIL going on the air.
"Rumors are rife all over town and I've always tried to be out of the shoot with the news," Cooper said. "We really don't know that much. We just know … the station is not making it."
Cooper said she had the option of keeping her show, but submitted her resignation because she did not wish to continue without local programming leading up to 'Gloria's Place.'
Cooper started at WNIL in the early 1960s and hosted her show for nearly two decades before taking the position in 1979 as Southwestern Michigan College's first director of public information. She is also a former drama critic, feature writer and entertainment editor for the Niles Daily Star.
Cooper eventually returned to WNIL and her show. She has been interviewing city officials, superintendents, politicians and former Niles resident and recording artist Tommy James ever since.
In 1986, Cooper earned the inaugural Four Flags Area Chamber of Commerce Athena Award for outstanding business Woman of the Year. She also received in March the Chamber's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Brad Williams, the general manager for Federated Media, was unavailable for comment Wednesday.