Regional Media-Virden Broadcasting Explained

Regional Media-Virden Broadcasting headquartered in Davenport, Iowa is private owner of radio stations in the Midwest.

The company traces it founding to Randal J. Miller who at the age of 16 in 1971 started a 100 milliwatt transmitter station with a 300-foot range from his parents house in rural Shelbyville, Illinois. In 1982 he launched 3,000 watt easy listening music station WRVI with a range of 25 miles in Virden, Illinois.^[1] He sold the station in 1992 and acquired other small market stations in Illinois and sold the then Taylorville, Illinois based Virden Broadcasting to Fletcher M. Ford in 2013 who moved the headquarters to Davenport.^[2] Ford of Blue Grass, Iowa at the time was sales manager of Virden's Kewanee radio stations.^[3]

The Virden name frequently has been clipped to just Regional Media since Ford's acquisition. In December 2021, the company expanded outside of Illinois radio station base with the acquisition of KVVL and KNIM in Maryville, Missouri.^[4] The company's web reginonalmedia.info

Prestige Communications

Prestige Communications was a broadcast radio station group in Macomb, Illinois. It operated six stations in west-central Illinois owned by the husband-wife team of Bruce T. Foster and Nancy L. Foster. All six stations were sold to Virden Broadcasting Corp. effective November 30, 2015, at a purchase price of $725,000. The stations, with ownership as of 2009, were:

• Central Illinois Broadcasting Company - 74% Bruce Foster; 26% Nancy Foster shares voted by Bruce Foster^[5]
  • 102.7 WJEQ Macomb, Illinois - from bankrupt McDonough Broadcasting, Inc. on 14 June 1989^[6]
• Colchester Radio, Inc. - 100% owned by Nancy Foster^[5]
  • 1510 WLRB Macomb, Illinois - from WPW Broadcasting on 6 January 2009^[7]
  • 100.1 WKAI Macomb, Illinois - from WPW Broadcasting on 6 January 2009^[7]
  • 104.1 WMQZ Colchester, Illinois - licensed as new on 9 June 1999^[8]
  • 104.7 WLMD Bushnell, Illinois - from WPW Broadcasting on 6 January 2009^[7]
• Nancy L. Foster - as sole proprietor^[5]
  • 95.9 WNLF Macomb, Illinois - FCC construction permit granted by Auction #25, MX FM 51, in 1996;^[9] licensed as new 16 March 2001^[10]

Stations

Illinois

• KQCJ FM, Cambridge, Illinois^[11]
• WKEI AM, Kewanee, Illinois^[12]
• WJRE FM, Galva, Illinois^[13]
• WZOE-FM, Princeton, Illinois^[14]
• WZOE (AM), Princeton, Illinois^[15]
• WRVY FM, Henry, Illinois^[16]
• WZZT FM, Morrison, Illinois^[17]
• WSSQ FM, Sterling, Illinois^[18]
• WSDR AM, Sterling, Illinois^[19]
• WLMD (FM), Bushnell, Illinois^[20]
• WJEQ FM, Macomb, Illinois^[21]
• WKAI FM, Macomb, Illinois^[22]
• WNLF FM, Macomb, Illinois^[23]
• WMQZ FM, Colchester, Illinois^[24]

Missouri

• KVVL FM, Maryville^[4]
• KNIM AM, Maryville^[4]

External links

• (as of January 16, 2022 redirects to a subsection the company's illinoisnewsnow.com website)
• Prestige Communications - former official site
• "Local radio stations sold" - July 17, 2008, article by Bill Ford of the Macomb Journal

Notes and References

1. Web site: Virden FM Station Opens in 1982 . Newspapers.com . 1981-11-09 . 2022-01-16.
2. Web site: Regional Media Moving to Davenport . Newspapers.com . 2013-02-12 . 2022-01-16.
3. Web site: Miller Media Group Company Profile | Management and Employees List . Datanyze.com . 2022-01-16.
4. Web site: Nodaway Broadcasting, INC Announces Sale Of Radio Stations To Regional Media – Nodaway Broadcasting . Nodawaybroadcasting.com . 2021-10-18 . 2022-01-16.
5. Web site: FCC Form 323: Ownership Report for Commercial Broadcast Stations (File No. BOS-20090209ADM) . Colchester Radio, Inc. . . 2009-02-04 . 2009-07-25 .
6. Web site: Public Notice Comment (FCC File No. BALH-19890202GF) . . 1989-06-14 . 2009-07-25 .
7. Web site: Consummation Notice (FCC File No. BALH-20080717ABN) . Colchester Radio, Inc. . . 2009-01-06 . 2009-07-25 .
8. Web site: Application Search Details (FCC File No. BLH-19990309KA) . . 1999-06-11 . 2009-07-25 .
9. Web site: Public Notice Comment (FCC File No. BPH-19961017MN) . . 2000-08-14 . 2009-07-25 .
10. Web site: Application Search Details (FCC File No. BLH-20001108AAC) . . 2001-03-16 . 2009-07-25 .
11. Web site: FM Station KQCJ - FCC Public Inspection File. publicfiles.fcc.gov.
12. Web site: AM Station WKEI - FCC Public Inspection File. publicfiles.fcc.gov.
13. Web site: FM Station WJRE - FCC Public Inspection File. publicfiles.fcc.gov.
14. Web site: FM Station WZOE-FM - FCC Public Inspection File. publicfiles.fcc.gov.
15. Web site: AM Station WZOE - FCC Public Inspection File. publicfiles.fcc.gov.
16. Web site: FM Station WRVY-FM - FCC Public Inspection File. publicfiles.fcc.gov.
17. Web site: FM Station WZZT - FCC Public Inspection File. publicfiles.fcc.gov.
18. Web site: FM Station WSSQ - FCC Public Inspection File. publicfiles.fcc.gov.
19. Web site: AM Station WSDR - FCC Public Inspection File. publicfiles.fcc.gov.
20. Web site: FM Station WLMD - FCC Public Inspection File. publicfiles.fcc.gov.
21. Web site: FM Station WJEQ - FCC Public Inspection File. publicfiles.fcc.gov.
22. Web site: FM Station WKAI - FCC Public Inspection File. publicfiles.fcc.gov.
23. Web site: FM Station WNLF - FCC Public Inspection File. publicfiles.fcc.gov.
24. Web site: FM Station WMQZ - FCC Public Inspection File. publicfiles.fcc.gov.