Knoxville Radio: Oskie Media To Shutter TN Sports Radio

Oskie Media, LLC, the company that owns and operates two  Knoxville area radio frequencies, announced Monday that it is launching two new radio stations.

Tennessee Sports Radio, which Oskie Media has operated for the past four years on WVLZ 1180 AM, will cease broadcasting on Aug. 29 at 5 p.m. to make room for one of the new stations.

The company said it has analyzed the Knoxville radio market for the past seven months to ascertain what listeners want and to identify what the market currently lacks. The result of that research is two entirely new formats unique to the East Tennessee market.

The company will announce those formats in coming weeks.

Oskie Media is owned by a group of Middle Tennessee investors. Jason Bailey, co-owner of Oskie Media and General Manager of Tennessee Sports Radio, took over the former ESPN Radio station in Knoxville in 2010. He quickly changed formats and built a cult-following for Tennessee Sports Radio with on-air personalities including Erik Ainge, Jayson Swain, Dave Hooker and former television sports journalist Steve Phillips.

“We wanted to engage our audience,” Bailey said. “We set Tennessee Sports Radio up in a way that was unlike any other radio station in Knoxville. We were ahead of our time, and our listeners and advertisers loved it and responded to it. We had a great four-year run and we raised the bar for sports radio in East Tennessee. Everyone involved with Tennessee Sports Radio should be proud of what they accomplished.

Tennessee Sports Radio will continue to broadcast daily through August 29.  The first of Oskie Media’s new stations is expected to launch on 1180 AM on Monday, September 1 at 7 a.m. with a separate station launching soon thereafter on WKCE 1120 AM.