Greg Horne’s Arkansas River Valley Radio has agreed to purchase thirteen radio stations and five translators from Bobby Caldwell’s EAB Media (East Arkansas Broadcasters) for $3.75 million, in a deal announced Friday.
The acquisition covers a diverse lineup of stations serving Central Arkansas and the Arkansas River Valley region, including markets like Russellville, Morrilton, Atkins, Dardanelle, Vilonia, Ola, Danville, Clarksville, Greenbrier, and Conway. Horne began operating the stations via a local marketing agreement (LMA) on January 1, 2026.
These properties feature a mix of formats including variety hits (Jack-FM and Bob-FM), classic rock, adult contemporary, multiple country stations, classic country, news/talk, and oldies/Motown, with many carrying local community programming, high school sports, and Arkansas Tech University athletics.
Horne, a Russellville native, third-generation broadcaster, former University of Arkansas Razorbacks football All-American, and ex-NFL draft pick, has deep family ties to the area. His grandfather, Russ Horne, was an original owner of stations like KVOM-AM (dating back to around 1952), and the Horne family operated radio properties in Russellville from 1947 into the 1990s. Greg himself worked shifts at KARV as a teen before his football career.
Here are the stations and translators included in the deal:
- Variety Hits “92.7 Jack-FM” KCON Vilonia
- Classic Rock “99.3 The Eagle” KASR Atkins / 105.5 KYEL Danville
- AC 100.9 KWKK Russellville
- Country 101.5 KARV-FM Ola
- Country 101.7 KVOM-FM Morrilton
- Country 102.3 KCJC Dardanelle
- Classic Country “106.9 The Maverick” KMVM Clarksville
- Country “Y107” 107.1 KCNY Greenbrier
- News/Talk 610 KARV / 93.1 K226CU and 98.1 K251CO Dardanelle
- Oldies “Motown Radio” 800 KVOM / 92.5 K223DK Morrilton and 98.9 K255DN Conway
- Variety Hits “97.1 Bob-FM” 980 KCAB / 97.1 K246CT Dardanelle
After time in the NFL draft and later media/advertising roles (including as General Manager of Deltaplex Radio’s stations in Pine Bluff and former President/Chairman of the Arkansas Broadcasters Association), Horne expressed enthusiasm: “I’m a Russellville native, River Valley guy... The opportunity came available to do a deal with Bobby Caldwell and the EAB group, and if he was ever ready to do something, I’d like to try to take them over and help serve and be part of the community.”
Caldwell, whose family-owned EAB has long been Arkansas's largest radio group (operating dozens of signals statewide, plus agriculture, sports, and news networks), will retain 25 stations after the sale. He described the transaction positively: “This transaction places these Central Arkansas and River Valley stations with a trusted local broadcaster and allows EAB Media to further concentrate our resources on serving listeners and residents of Eastern Arkansas.”
The deal reflects strategic realignment for EAB and a meaningful return to broadcasting in Horne's family historic footprint. It is pending FCC approval, with no major format changes or operational shifts announced as of January 10, 2026.