Business & Tech

Barrow Radio Station Changing Ownership

The new owner has plans to steer programming away from syndicated talk shows.

Barrow's WIMO 1300 will soon have a new owner, pending FCC approval.

Jeffrey Batten, who owns five other FM and AM stations in North Georgia, plans to increase local programming at the station and move away from syndicated talk shows.

“A community station has to do more than to say it’s a community station. It has to prove it to listeners through action and initiative,” Batten said in a released statement. “Within a month of our coming in, we will have legitimate Barrow County daily news updates, a daily local high school sports show complete with interviews, recent scores and player information, and we will launch a meaningful morning show that speaks to area issues in a thoughtful and compelling way.”    

Batten also owns WCHM 96.7 and AM1490 in Habersham County, WJUL 97.5 and AM1230 in Towns County and WJRB 95.1 in Union County. 

“I bought all of the stations over the last five years from owners who struggled to make their stations relevant, so I know what the staff and I are about to undertake. I know it will take a lot of hard work. But my business belief has always been that ‘quality eventually wins.’ This transition will not fail because the staff and I didn’t care enough or because success didn’t come immediately,” Batten said. “Radio is still enormously important to small communities, and I’ve learned with my other stations that the key to succeeding in community radio anywhere is, if you love the community, the community will ultimately love you back.”    

The WIMO ownership transfer is expected to be finalized within 60 days.


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