New owners will introduce “a full schedule of Western New York and Southern Tier programs by real local radio talent”
Longtime broadcaster Dave Taylor Smith to retire from WVIN
By Andrew Harris
News of the sale of Bath NY radio station 98.3FM has gotten lots of attention this week in the media world and the local community.
As social media and bloggers weighed in on the change; Misinformation, misplaced outrage, and baseless accusations made mediates like me wonder, ‘what’s really going on here?’
After a conversation with the family of the former owner, Mrs. Gordon Ichikawa and the new owners Tom and Desire Hoyt, we have some good news, and the end of an era.
Dave Taylor Smith, pictured in 2023, has been the voice of WVIN for almost forty years, a local icon who has watched the radio industry change in real time. Rumors that Smith was laid off or terminated by the new owners were adamantly dispelled by the Ichikawa family who told the Hornell Sun:
“The new owners hoped to have the support of Dave Taylor Smith and offered him “a generous package that included increased salary, bonuses, and additional airtime. The family, along with the new owners, are saddened that Dave chose not to continue with the station. Dave and Cassandre will continue to be paid through the end of the month as the new owners prepare to take over the station.”
WVIN has been through a lot lately. The station was purchased by radio afficionado Gordon Ichikawa in 2016 as a pet project for his later years. His goal was to buy and revive some struggling radio stations, which was as much a community service as a business venture. Hornell’s WLEA was also one of Gordon’s acquisitions. Tragically Gordon died suddenly in late 2023 while snorkeling, shortly after taking over WVIN, WABH, and WLEA. Read his obituary here.
The Ichikawa family was left to manage his affairs, with no experience or interest in the radio business, they began the search for new owners. While WLEA was successfully sold to Bob Savage, WVIN languished without new investment. Facing a 70% loss of advertising revenue, WVIN was only providing a few hours a day of local programming and the Ichikawa family were considering closing the station entirely.
In walked Tom and Desire Hoyt, owners of the Pure Radio group that operates the CJ Country radio network covering Western New York and Southern Tier. CJ Country is based in Warsaw and serves much of Wyoming, Monroe, and Livingston counties with real local “radio jocks,” news, and programming with a “country music format.”
The Ichikawa family was encouraged by the Hoyt’s positive outlook and strong community focus embracing Tyrtle Beach, Santa’s Day Off, Breakfast of Champions, Senior Showcase and local sports. The sale was completed recently and after a brief pause, 98.3FM plans to be back on the air June 1st.
Tom and Desire are very excited about having 98.3FM join the CJ Country network, they hope the Bath and Steuben County communities are ready for positive change. Tom explained why the Hoyt’s are excited about the acquisition:
“We are thrilled about increasing our coverage area and look forward to bringing real local programs back to 98.3FM listeners. This isn’t just a new country music format, this a full schedule of Western New York and Southern Tier programs by real local radio talent!”
Change has become the normal all across the media landscape and radio continues to evolve. Where many smaller radio stations have been placed on auto-programming with no local connection, 98.3FM will remain locally connected. CJ Country is based in Warsaw NY, just under sixty miles away and already broadcasts in neighboring Livingston County. Desire Hoyt is ready for this new chapter and optimistic about the future of local radio:
“We are excited for the opportunity to bring CJ Country to Bath and Steuben County. Look for our coverage to start including local news and sports as we 98.3FM back on the air in just couple week.”
More on CJ Country, https://wcjw.com/
