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Ash,
a lifelong Logan County resident, had been a 19-year mainstay of
Lincoln-Logan County radio until the demise of WPRC a year and a
half ago. He has been commuting to Springfield before dawn each
morning to fill the job of news director at WUIS public radio on the
UIS campus. Afternoons and evenings he has worked along with Tim
Rogers to build LincOn-TV into an alternative medium to fill the
void left by the demise of WPRC.
[New WNMW station manager Jim Ash (right)
and Mike Fak]
Although
the radio station has yet to be built, Jim states he has reached an
agreement with the owners, K and M Communications in Skokie, to head
the new station. "We are hoping to break ground in the next
week or so," Ash stated. "There are still a few details to
be worked out, and the weather has to cooperate as well."
The
new station, with the call letters WNMW, will be located in rural
Atlanta in an area known as Lazy Row. The broadcast radius will be
over 30 miles, meaning the station will serve not only Logan County
but parts of McLean and Sangamon counties as well.
The
station will be on the air 24 hours a day with a "classic
rock" format. "That’s a probable," Ash stated.
"The owners have found that format works best on other stations
they currently own and operate."
WNMW,
located at 96.3 on the FM dial, intends to be up and running on
April 15 of this year.
[to top of second column in
this article]
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The
station intends to have three full-time employees to handle
day-to-day operations at the site.
Ash
wanted to stress that he is not giving up his involvement with
LincOn-TV when his new job begins. "One of the agreements I
have with K and M is that I can continue to help Channel 15 become
an important part of the Logan County culture."
The
appointment brings Ash back home to Logan County after the quick and
unceremonious loss of his job at the old WPRC two years ago.
Capital
Broadcast, after purchasing WPRC, changed the radio station's call
letters to WLLM and went to a canned format electronically sent to
the local station. The system required no personnel locally to
operate the station. Ash and all other staff were notified they were
no longer needed. The new format also meant there was no local news
available on the air.
"WNMW
will carry news that is of interest to this area," Ash said.
"It’s good to be coming home."
[Mike
Fak]
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