Chieftain football returns to air
Published 10:00 pm Tuesday, August 24, 2010
WGTO, AM 910, and FM 101.1, Dowagiac’s local radio station, announced Tuesday night it will air Dowagiac Chieftains football games both home and away for the 2010 season “despite being broke.”
Station owner Larry Langford said in a statement, “Although WGTO has suffered heavy financial losses due to a lack of advertising by local businesses, we are committed to provide coverage of the games both over the air and on the Internet in response to listener requests.”
Langford added, “We have invested heavily in new equipment, including the purchase of the license for WGTO FM at 101.1. We are confident this FM addition will provide better reception of the games, which often air after WGTO-AM reduces power to low night levels as required by the FCC. WGTO- FM has no such restriction.”
Pat Bakeman will head the broadcast team. WGTO has been in operation since 1988, but current economic conditions have had the station falling on extreme hard times.
Longtime morning man Jonathan “Wildman” Wildes was laid off sometime ago when the station could no longer afford to pay him.
Langford, who does local news on the station himself with Clint Probst doing weather pro bono, hopes the station can hold on until times are better and local talent can be rehired.
Langford hopes that businesses will come forward to underwrite the games, but vows to air them even if funding is not found.
“We think our children should not suffer just because the local economy is bad. And this is a chance for local businesses to show support for our home team. Only a local station like WGTO can broadcast the games over the air and on the Internet,” Langford said. “You will never see huge stations like WSBT or U93 broadcasting high school games. Local radio is a treasure that is being lost in many parts of the country.”
Local businesses are the main source of funding for small stations such as WGTO.
Langford hopes to keep the stations on air as long as possible, but if WGTO and sister station WDOW fail and licenses are returned to the FCC, Dowagiac will no longer have a local station and a new license would never be granted due to new FCC regulations.
“If we lose it, it’s gone for good,” Langford said.
Dowagiac has had a local station in the form of WGTO or WDOW since 1960.
Games will air on AM 910 and FM 101.1 as well as the Internet at www.wgtoradio.com.