Industry | Radio [1] |
---|---|
Predecessor | Mississippi Agriculture and News Network [1] |
Headquarters | 6311 Ridgewood Road, , US [1] |
Area served | Mississippi [1] |
Key people | Steve Davenport (CEO) (2022) [2] |
Owner | Steve Davenport [2] |
Number of employees | 140 (2015) [3] |
Website | Official website |
Telesouth Communications Inc, also known as SuperTalk Mississippi Media, is an American commercial radio network based in Jackson, Mississippi. Its stations across Mississippi broadcast either a music format, or conservative news/talk and sports under the SuperTalk brand. [1] [3] [2]
The network's talk stations carry a mix of syndicated national shows, its programming, and material produced at the individual stations. Sports schedules are matched to teams based in local markets. [4] [1] [5]
In 1979, Steve Davenport was hired to manage the Love Communications owned Mississippi Agriculture and News Network in Jackson, Mississippi. Shortly afterward, it was purchased by Baton Rouge-based Interstate Communications and merged with Louisiana Network Inc. Soon, production of news reports and short features for Mississippi radio stations evolved to include longer lifestyle, and sports phone-in programs. [1]
The firm began broadcasting live football and basketball from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1984 and went on to take sports broadcast franchises for the University of Mississippi and University of Southern Mississippi. As well as programming for Mississippi and Louisiana, the South Carolina News Network was also produced from Jackson until 2008. [1] [2]
Following disagreement over a $25,000 annual franchise fee for the Ole Miss Rebels, Steve Davenport and his business partners the Hanley family of Hazlehurst agreed to purchase Interstate Communications' Mississippi market business, Mississippi Networks Inc, for $300,000 in 1985. Davenport bought out the Hanley's stake in 2008. [2] [1]
Amid financial turmoil in 1988, Telesouth sold its newly acquired Biloxi radio station, then bought others, eventually covering all 82 counties of Mississippi. [2]
In 1995, the business name was changed to Telesouth Communications Inc, and in 1997 current flagship WFMN (Flora) and WTCD (Indianola) stations were purchased and converted to pioneer a "SuperTalk" conservative talk show format. [1] [2] [3]
Jackson State Tigers football was added to the sport broadcast roster in 1998, and the Southern Urban News Network established to produce news features for radio stations in urban markets across Mississippi. The Urban News Network was merged with the firm's Mississippi News Network in 2011. [1]
Telesouth began to divest college sports broadcast franchises from 2011, and to purchase music radio stations. The franchise agreement with Ole Miss had been renewed in 2007 guaranteeing a minimum fee of $27 million over ten years and substantial investment by the broadcaster in facilities at Vaught–Hemingway Stadium, including a $6 million jumbotron. The agreement was taken over by Learfield in 2012. The franchise fee, payable by Telesouth to the University of Mississippi, for its final year of Ole Miss Rebels football was $3 million. [6] [2] [1] [7]
Purchases included Biloxi music stations from Alpha Media in 2018. [1] [8]
Between 2013 and 2018, sport, and then feel-good and lifestyle programming, were added to the SuperTalk format broadcast on Telesouth's 12 talk radio stations. [1]
In 2019, the company began video broadcast of SuperTalk programming on C Spire cable. [1]
As of 2022 [update] , Supertalk's schedule includes:-
JT Williamson and Dave Ingram began to co-host the JT & Dave Show on SuperTalk in 2002. Long-time producer and occasional on-air contributor was “Scary” Gary O’Cain. Their guests on the show were often prominent Mississippi politicians and the pair addressed controversial topics in the state from a conservative perspective. The daily, three-hour shows campaigned for charter schools and to repeal traffic camera legislation. Phone-in callers that disagreed with the presenters were characteristically dealt with in a robust manner. Ingram left the show in 2010 and the abrupt nature of his departure prompted speculation on internet forums. [56] [57] [58] [59] [60] [61]
The show was briefly renamed Air Bubba, then the JT Show, and in a departure from interviewing Mississippi's state politicians in 2016, it hosted British campaigner Nigel Farage. Williamson announced he had been diagnosed with Lymphoma in 2020 and died that year. [62] [63] [59] [64] [65]
As of 2022 [update] , SuperTalk's general, statewide news service is carried by 48 Mississippi affiliate radio stations. Thirty-six broadcast its Agrinews package covering commodity prices and farming topics. [66] [67]
Telesouth Communications Inc was one of the defendants in a putative class action lawsuit brought by Steven Clarke and nine other amateur college athletes. They alleged athletic conferences, broadcast networks and licensing agencies (including Telesouth) improperly colluded to exclude them from the market for their image rights, and set those fees they received at zero or lower than what they would otherwise have achieved. [68] [69] [70] [71]
Judge Kevin H Sharp's 2015 decision in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee accepted that college sports was "big business", but concluded the way athletes had been required to surrender their images rights was lawful. [72] [68]
Mississippi Coast Coliseum is an 11,500-seat reserved seating, 15,000 festival seating, multi-purpose arena in Biloxi, Mississippi. It was built in 1977. It hosted the WCW Beach Blast in 1993 and the Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament in 1992 and 1993. The Metro Conference men's basketball tournaments were contested there in 1990 and 1994. In addition, the rematch between legendary boxing former world heavyweight champion Larry Holmes and his fellow former world heavyweight champion Mike Weaver was held at the Coast Coliseum on November 17, 2000; Holmes winning by sixth-round technical knockout.
WBAL is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Baltimore, Maryland. It is owned by the broadcasting division of Hearst Communications and broadcasts a news/talk radio format. The station shares its studios and offices with sister stations WBAL-TV and WIYY on Television Hill in Baltimore's Woodberry neighborhood. WBAL and WIYY are the only two radio stations owned by Hearst, which is primarily a publishing and television company.
WOSM is a commercial FM radio station broadcasting a Talk radio format. Licensed to Ocean Springs, Mississippi, it serves the Biloxi-Gulfport-Pascagoula radio market. It is owned by Stephen Davenport, through licensee Telesouth Communications, Inc.
WOWW is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Germantown, Tennessee, and serving the Memphis metropolitan area. WOWW carries an adult album alternative radio format and calls itself "Radio Pig". It is owned and operated by Flinn Broadcasting Corporation. The station's studios and offices are in Southaven, Mississippi.
KTAE is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Elgin, Texas, and serving the Austin metropolitan area. It is owned by Genuine Austin Radio, with a sale to Norsan Media pending, with studios and offices along Loop 360 in Southwest Austin. KTAE airs a Spanish classic hits format.
WFTA, known as "Supertalk Mississippi", is a talk radio station based in Fulton, Mississippi that serves Tupelo and Northeast Mississippi with an ERP of 50,000 watts. WFTA is owned by Stephen C. Davenport, through licensee Telesouth Communications Inc. On-air shows include Bop's Sing-A-Long in the morning with Craig Horton.
WLGF is a radio station located in Gulfport, Mississippi broadcasting a Contemporary Christian format under the national K-Love radio network. WLGF is owned by Educational Media Foundation and its signal covers areas in Gulfport-Biloxi area.
WJZD-FM, known as "JZ 94.5", is a commercial radio station licensed to Long Beach, Mississippi, and serving the Biloxi-Gulfport-Pascagoula radio market. It broadcasts an urban contemporary radio format and is owned by WJZD, Incorporated. It is the only black-owned FM station on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
WELI is an AM commercial radio station licensed to New Haven, Connecticut, and serving the New Haven and Bridgeport areas. It broadcasts a news/talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. WELI's studios are in Radio Towers Park on Benham Street in Hamden, where it shares facilities with sister stations WKCI-FM and WAVZ. Transmitting towers for WELI are also at this location.
WCPR-FM is a radio station licensed to Wiggins, Mississippi. Its transmitter is located in Saucier, Mississippi, on a 466-foot tower at 50,000 watts of power. WCPR plays primarily rock and alternative music. The station's signal reaches far west to Covington, Louisiana, far east to Mobile, Alabama, and far north as Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
WSFZ is a radio station licensed to serve Jackson, Mississippi. The station is owned by iHeartMedia. As of December 1, 2020, WSFZ is broadcasting an African-American oriented all-news format.
WGBL is a radio station based in Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi broadcasting a classic hip-hop format and new hip-hop. The station is owned by Telesouth Communications, Inc. and broadcasts their format with an ERP of 4.3 kW. WGBL broadcasts from the same transmitter tower as former sister station, WLGF, in Orange Grove.
WMJY is a commercial radio station, licensed to Biloxi, Mississippi and serving the Biloxi-Gulfport-Pascagoula radio market. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., and it broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for part of November and December. The studios are on Debuys Road in Biloxi.
WBUV, is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Moss Point, Mississippi, and serving the Gulfport–Biloxi-Pascagoula radio market. The station broadcasts a news/talk format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are on DeBuys Road in Biloxi.
WXYK is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Pascagoula, Mississippi and serving the Biloxi - Gulfport - Pascagoula radio market. The station has a Top 40/CHR radio format and is owned by Telesouth Communications Inc. The studios and offices are on Three Rivers Road in Gulfport. WXYK carries The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show and American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest, syndicated from Premiere Networks.
WTNI is a radio station licensed to Biloxi, Mississippi, which broadcasts an adult hits format as "Bob 106.3" with 10,000 watts daytime and 1,000 watts at night. It is one of six broadcasting stations in the United States licensed for 1640 kHz.
WTNM is an American radio station licensed to serve the community of Courtland, Mississippi. The station, established in 1985 as "WKLJ", is operated by Supertalk Mississippi and the WTNM broadcast license is held by Telesouth Communications, Inc.
WWMR is a radio station licensed to Saltillo, Mississippi and serving the Tupelo, Mississippi area. The station is owned by Mike Brandt, through licensee Southern Broadcasting LLC.
WANG is a radio station licensed to Biloxi, Mississippi. Owned by Telesouth Communications, it broadcasts a commercial adult hits format. The station is simulcast on 1640 WTNI, as well as translator station W292GD on 106.3 FM.
WBZL is a classic hip hop formatted broadcast radio station. The station is licensed to Greenwood, Mississippi and serves Greenwood, Grenada, Indianola, and Winona in Mississippi. WBZL is owned and operated by Telesouth Communications Inc.