BENNINGTON — Facing an upcoming June deadline for a federal permit related to its effort to install an FM transmitter, the WBTN-1370 AM radio station’s nonprofit parent has added a slew of new board members and is changing the station’s programming.
The board of Shires Media Partnership, the nonprofit organization formed to acquire the station from Southern Vermont College in 2008, has expanded to 11 members and includes several newly elected officers: president TJ Greene, vice president Shannon Pruden and treasurer Robb Prouty. Longtime board member Jason Lillie remains with the organization, now serving as board secretary and program director.
“We’re within 60 days of going online,” Lillie said in an interview Monday of the group’s effort to install a transmitter and related equipment for the station’s authorized 96.5 FM location.
The AM channel will continue to be available for listeners, but the FM option, serving approximately the same coverage area, will provide a better quality signal, Lillie said.
The FM station potentially could be up and running sooner than the 60-day target, Lillie said. The currently active AM station has begun promoting the upcoming launch on air.
The station is also dropping a tagline it adopted not long ago, “the Big Voice of Southern Vermont,” and shifting its focus to rock music, though it will continue to host shows that involve elements of talk radio, according to Lillie and Lee Dufresne, a volunteer involved with the change.
The station has adopted the mottos “We Bring The Noise,” a play on its call letters, and “Southern Vermont’s (Premier) Rock Station.” It will broadcast various sub-genres of rock music, including classic rock, hard rock and heavy metal, according to Dufresne.
One recently launched show is “Real Talk of the Northeast with Mulletman & The Mouth,” hosted by Prouty and Dufresne, which airs on Wednesday nights.
No longer involved with the nonprofit is former state representative and fishing guide Chris Bates, who had served as a board member and on-air host. The board voted to remove Bates as a member last month, according to Lillie, who said Bates had not looked out for the station’s best interest and “turned a lot of people off” through his morning show.
Reached for comment, Bates said he “had eight great years at WBTN,” enjoyed hosting his show “Outdoor Secrets Unwrapped” and the morning show he co-hosted with Jessica Lillie, and is now looking forward to future endeavors. He declined to delve into specifics regarding his departure from the station.
Other current board members are Dean Harrington, Erin Brady, Kevin Chobanian, Josh Jeckel, Jessica Lillie, Bruce Bell and Mike “The Enforcer” Spain, according to a list provided by Dufresne.
New programs are still taking shape. Prouty, the board treasurer, will be hosting rock music segments, Jeckel will be covering weather and rock history, and Spain, who has experience as a radio DJ in the Albany area, will also have his own show, according to Dufresne.
Dufresne described the station’s financial situation as “stable,” explaining that it is now seeking to revive and establish new business relationships.
The group is aiming “to make this a radio station that Bennington will be proud of,” Dufresne said.
People interested in getting involved with the station as volunteers may call 802-442-6321. The station’s address is 407 Harwood Hill in Bennington and its Facebook page is facebook.com/wbtn1370am.
The station will hold a “soft launch” of the FM channel once equipment is installed to test the signal, according to Dufresne. That test will be followed by a “hard roll out,” on which date TJ’s Fish Fry in Bennington — a business owned by new board president TJ Greene — will sell discounted fish, with proceeds going toward the station.
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March 20, 2021 at 09:45AM
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WBTN eyes FM frequency launch, adds board members - Bennington Banner
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