By Nick Jones, President

RAINSVILLE, Ala. — Southern Torch, Inc. is thrilled to announce its agreement to purchase the assets of KEA Radio, Inc. which includes two FM radio stations currently based in Scottsboro. The radio stations are WKEA-FM 98.3 and WMXN-FM 101.7 with coverage areas including DeKalb, Jackson, and Marshall counties as well as the other northeast Alabama counties. The deal is subject to approval from the Federal Communications Commission. Southern Torch’s application for license transfer was filed on February 11, 2019 and has been accepted for review.

Southern Torch, Inc. owns and operates the Southern Torch weekly newspaper and the southerntorch.com daily news website.

“We are unbelievably excited about the potential to grow our audience and put Southern Torch into a better position to serve this region of the state.” Southern Torch General Manager Eloise Smith said. “We welcome the KEA Radio audience, customers, and employees to the Southern Torch family with open arms. Ron (Livengood) has built an incredible company and brand and we are humbled to follow in his footsteps.”

Ron Livengood, President of KEA Radio, Inc., has had a radio career that spans over 50 years and includes stints in Centre, Piedmont, Anniston, Gadsden, Bridgeport, Fort Payne, Scottsboro, Somerset, Ky., and Danville, Va. He founded WQEN, known as Q104, which became the number one rated station in Alabama. He is also a former President of the Alabama Broadcasters Association and received the association’s 1997 Broadcaster of the Year award. Livengood plans to work to make the transition as smooth as possible and then join Southern Torch as a radio consultant.

“I am delighted to continue my relationship with Southern Torch. Eloise has a great organization and I look forward to being a part of it.” Livengood stated.

Southern Torch, Inc. will continue to publish its weekly newspaper in the DeKalb county area and grow its regional online audience alongside the current KEA Radio coverage map. KEA Radio’s coverage map for the two FM stations reaches the outskirts of Huntsville to the west, South Pittsburg, Tenn. to the north, Summerville, Ga. to the east, and Gadsden to the south.

Southern Torch plans to close on the radio acquisition deal at the end of March. Southern Torch is continuing to make plans to expand its operations as well as continue the excellent service of KEA Radio. Stay tuned for more exciting news in the future!