Our Daily Show Interview! Chris Lorton: HS Sports on WJBM!
JERSEYVILLE — Chris Lorton is revitalizing the WJBM radio network, based in Jerseyville, after purchasing the station in March. Lorton, who sold his previous business, Georgie’s, in July of last year, made the deal for WJBM in October and has been learning the radio business alongside his son Michael, an electrical engineer.
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“I didn’t necessarily want it like my lifelong dream,” Lorton said in a recent interview with Our Daily Show! host C.J. Nasello at the WJBM studio in Alton. “I have always made a side living working for properties down and out but had a good location. In this case, WJBM had been in bankruptcy for four years. I was asked if I was interested to make an offer and the person took my offer."
Lorton’s primary motivation for acquiring WJBM was to keep the local radio station alive. “With radio, it is free. You don’t have to have a subscription with us. It is all local. You can do something, drive a car, play with kids, do whatever and still listen to the radio,” he said.
The station has a small but dedicated team, including IHSA Hall of Fame broadcaster Craig Baalman who has 37 years of experience, and an experienced marketing person - Bryan Hensley - who recently joined after time with KMOX, and Fox 2 News and Riverbender.com.
“We are just getting started,” Lorton said. “With the station, I want to cover the whole Tri-County area — Jersey, Greene, and Calhoun counties.”
One of the standout features of the revitalized WJBM is its high school sports coverage.
“We put our heads together and came up with the product we have for the fall,” Lorton said. “With modern technology, we can pull it off.”
The station broadcasts high school football games from Calhoun, Carrollton, and Jerseyville. Three big-screen TVs in the studio stream all the games in studio, with reporters at each game texting updates to the studio. Michael, Lorton’s son, manages the technical information flow, ensuring timely and accurate broadcasts.
The broadcasts start at 6:30 p.m. on Friday nights during football, with pregame coach interviews, and the games begin at 7 p.m.
“Our debut was a little nerve-wracking, but it went off great,” Lorton said. “We had people calling up the studio asking, ‘How did you do this? It is magic.’”
Public reception has been overwhelmingly positive. “We put some numbers together and with our football coverage, it was brand new and sold out in three days. Everybody was on board,” Lorton said. The station plans to cover games in Calhoun, Carrollton, and Jersey, as well as University of Illinois games. Sponsors have shown strong interest as well.
In addition to sports, WJBM is launching a “Local Locals” show on Oct. 7, featuring local artists from areas all the way through the tri-county area to Godfrey and Alton. The show will include digital music submissions, interviews, and clips about why the artists wrote their songs. “This is great for the musicians and venue owners,” Lorton said.
Riverbender Radio also carries the WJBM Channel University of Illinois live broadcasts.
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