By Staff
CASSOPOLIS – Larry Langford, owner of WGTO radio 910 AM in Cassopolis, confirmed Friday he will take over the studios, property and license of WDOW AM in Dowagiac.
LeSea Broadcasting of South Bend, Ind., agreed to sell the AM station and its associated property to WGTO while holding on to the more powerful WHPD FM in Dowagiac at 92.1 FM.
Terms of the sale were not disclosed but Langford said, "LeSea Broadcasting was very generous in the terms they offered to allow me to take over WDOW AM and consolidate it with WGTO."
WDOW, the heritage station in Dowagiac, has been on the air since 1960 and for many years provided local news, sports, weather and talk.
WGTO has been the "OldiesRadio station in Cass County since 1996.
Before that, the 910 spot was used by WLLJ, originally build by Langford in 1988.
LeSea purchased WDOW AM and FM from Joe Jason and changed the FM to WHPD, simulcasting its Pulse format out of South Bend.
LeSea was approached by Langford, who wanted to expand local operations of WGTO but needed better studio facilities for local programming and sales.
LeSea agreed to sell both the building and the AM license to Langford after determining the sale of WDOW to Langford would foster local programming and give the struggling WGTO a better chance at success with the acquisition of a new office facility and the 1440 signal.
Langford added, "Its great when a major broadcaster like LeSea, which owns radio stations nationwide, can go the extra mile to help out a stand-alone owner like myself by making it possible to take over one of their lesser properties. They are to be commended for their spirit."
The deal was one WGTO could not refuse.
Financing for the sale is being provided by G.W. Jones Bank in Cassopolis.
"We try to do all of our business with local people" said Langford. " I hope we can rekindle the same spirit in the Dowagiac community to again have WDOW as its local voice. We are counting heavily on the support of local businesses."
Langford plans to bring back local news and even the long retired "Bargain Counter" program to 1440.
The timing all depends on how fast sales can be generated to support local staff and live operations.
"I will put everything I have into this effort. We are going for broke," said Langford, who has kept WGTO on air for many years despite mounting losses from lack of adequate local advertising support.
Currently, WDOW AM broadcasts Fox Sports via satellite.
Changes in the format are under consideration with a good chance that more news will be added from the southwestern Michigan area.
Increased local sports coverage is also on the way, said Langford.
Langford plans to alter programming on WGTO to better serve the Niles area, which has lost its longstanding local programming on WNIL.
Langford, an experienced broadcast engineer, said a power increase for WGTO could be on the way allowing more penetration in Berrien County.
It is hoped that advertisers in the Niles area will support WGTO and WDOW as the last local stand-alone stations serving Niles and Cass County.
A current move by the National Association of Broadcasters to obtain FCC approval for AM stand-alone stations to use low power FM transmitters might prove to make WDOW and WGTO valuable assets.
The proposed regulation suggests the FCC would only allow FM use by stations not holding FM licenses already.
Langford has a long history in radio. He was a personality for a short time at WNIL in Niles in 1969 before working as a news anchor and reporter in Indianapolis at WIBC and then Chicago at WAIT, WLS FM, WIND, WVON and WMAQ before joining the City of Chicago as communications director of the Chicago Fire Department in 2003.
He started WUBU-FM in South Bend before selling his interest in the1990s.
The sale of WDOW AM requires FCC approval but Langford will operate the station while approval is pending.