WSKG Public Media, one of the oldest and most celebrated educational broadcasters in New York State, and the licensee of WIOX Community Radio since 2014 when it acquired the station from the Town of Roxbury, has announced plans to turn over the WIOX license to WIOX, Inc., a local coalition of community leaders and educators, pending FCC approval. The transfer is expected to be concluded sometime in April.
“It’s been four exceptional years with WIOX as part of the WSKG family,” said Greg Catlin, WSKG President and CEO. “WIOX is so vibrant! And now that it’s clearly a sustainable local enterprise, independent ownership is only natural.”
“The initial goal back in ’14 was to provide some critical back-office services to support the innovative programs on WIOX, all live and local, reflecting the unique interests and talents of the region, and to see if the station could remain viable and valuable to the communities we serve,” said WIOX station manager and co-founder Joe Piasek, referring to the WSKG partnership. “WSKG has been an invaluable community partner, vital to our success.”
Many regional listeners enjoy the programming on both WIOX and WSKG-FM. “You can’t get any more relevant than the live shows on WIOX like Pure Country or From the Forest or Myth America or Graffiti Dog or Conflict Revolution or Bonnie’s Bop or... I could go on,” said Tom O’Brien, Roxbury Central School Superintendent. “It’s all so real, so entertaining, so educational! And on WSKG, you can’t get any more credible than NPR and PBS.”
None of that live programming on WIOX will change. In fact, that station’s ability to be reflective, responsive and supportive of talents and interests in the region will only increase.
“WIOX is an intrinsic part of our Catskills communities,” said Leigh Melander chair of the WIOX, Inc. board. “This gives WIOX an even brighter future. Stay tuned!”
Contact:
Greg Catlin, WSKG 607-729-0100
Chris Hensley, WIOX 607-326-3900