Sports-talk radio station WIST sold to Catholic Community Radio
Published: Monday, August 20, 2012
Pending Federal Communications Commission approval, New Orleans sports- and news-talk outlet WIST AM-690 and FM-104.9 has been sold to Baton Rouge-based nonprofit Catholic Community Radio, Inc. A format change to all-religious programming is expected in 4-5 months.
“I would love to be on the air by the end of the year,” said David Dawson, executive director of Catholic Community Radio, owner and operator of Baton Rouge’s WPYR AM-1380, which carries a combination of locally produced programming and network fare from EWTN, Ave Maria Radio and St. Joseph Radio.
The Baton Rouge station also carries live broadcasts of Mass from Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church at noon weekdays and 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
WIST’s new lineup is expected to mirror WPYR’s, including local programming and the Mass, though a church has not been selected.
Owned by George Buck’s GHB Broadcasting, WIST currently carries a mix of Yahoo Sports Radio programming and local shows hosted by Gus Kattengell, Scott Alexander, Eric Asher and Kaare Johnson.
WIST also carries Tulane University football, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball broadcasts. The station’s current contract with the station runs through the end of the 2012-2013 academic year, said Roger Dunaway, assistant athletic director for athletics communication for the school. Dawson said that new ownership will honor existing contracts. The process of finding a replacement for WIST as Tulane’s sports flagship will likely begin in the spring, Dunaway said.
According to a purchase-agreement attachment to the deal's FCC filing, the sale price is $200,000, which Dawson confirmed. The new station will operate on donations from listeners and the support of underwriters, Dawson said, but will receive no financial support from the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
“I’ve met with the Archbishop (Gregory Michael Aymond) twice, and I’m going to be visiting him again shortly,” Dawson said. “I wouldn’t do it without his approval.
“A lot of folks asked us, when we got started here in Baton Rouge, how much are you getting from the diocese? We had to explain (that) we’re not getting anything from the diocese. This is strictly donor-driven, but we serve the diocese.
“That’s the relationship we want in New Orleans.”
Dawson said he’s been a regular New Orleans visitor since childhood, and sees WIST’s future format as a good fit for the city.
“There’s no place on the planet like New Orleans,” Dawson said. “I was born here in Baton Rouge, but I love New Orleans. There’s no way that New Orleans shouldn’t be showcased. It’s founded on its Catholic culture, it’s steeped in its Catholic culture.
“Any time New Orleans is featured, what do you see? You see the (St. Louis) Cathedral. What other city in the nation has that?”
The Baton Rouge station also carries live broadcasts of Mass from Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church at noon weekdays and 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
WIST’s new lineup is expected to mirror WPYR’s, including local programming and the Mass, though a church has not been selected.
Owned by George Buck’s GHB Broadcasting, WIST currently carries a mix of Yahoo Sports Radio programming and local shows hosted by Gus Kattengell, Scott Alexander, Eric Asher and Kaare Johnson.
WIST also carries Tulane University football, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball broadcasts. The station’s current contract with the station runs through the end of the 2012-2013 academic year, said Roger Dunaway, assistant athletic director for athletics communication for the school. Dawson said that new ownership will honor existing contracts. The process of finding a replacement for WIST as Tulane’s sports flagship will likely begin in the spring, Dunaway said.
According to a purchase-agreement attachment to the deal's FCC filing, the sale price is $200,000, which Dawson confirmed. The new station will operate on donations from listeners and the support of underwriters, Dawson said, but will receive no financial support from the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
“I’ve met with the Archbishop (Gregory Michael Aymond) twice, and I’m going to be visiting him again shortly,” Dawson said. “I wouldn’t do it without his approval.
“A lot of folks asked us, when we got started here in Baton Rouge, how much are you getting from the diocese? We had to explain (that) we’re not getting anything from the diocese. This is strictly donor-driven, but we serve the diocese.
“That’s the relationship we want in New Orleans.”
Dawson said he’s been a regular New Orleans visitor since childhood, and sees WIST’s future format as a good fit for the city.
“There’s no place on the planet like New Orleans,” Dawson said. “I was born here in Baton Rouge, but I love New Orleans. There’s no way that New Orleans shouldn’t be showcased. It’s founded on its Catholic culture, it’s steeped in its Catholic culture.
“Any time New Orleans is featured, what do you see? You see the (St. Louis) Cathedral. What other city in the nation has that?”
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