Staff Reports - Jackson County Sentinel

The Jackson County Sentinel has officially moved to its new location on the square, along with 98.3 Wild Country and 101.7 The Torch, which will be coming soon. The Sentinel welcomes newspaper customers and advertising clients to come by for business or to just visit the new location.

“We are thrilled to be a part of the Scottsboro square renaissance. Our office has relocated the Sentinel and 98.3 to the square — where those businesses once resided — along with 101.7,” said Southern Torch owner Nick Jones. “Being a part of downtown is so important to our company. We want to be involved in all things Jackson County. This move is just the start; expect big things in the days to come.”

The new office is located at 208 South Broad Street in Scottsboro. The building is newly renovated, featuring a state-of-the-art facility with the comforting touch of a historic building on the downtown square. The interior brick walls remain and the decor reflects the feeling that drew the owners to the new location. The radio studio just inside the front windows facing the square will be completed in the coming months. 

“The Jackson County Sentinel is excited to become a part of the downtown Scottsboro area with our move to the new location on the square. We look forward to continuing to serve the people of Jackson County by providing local news coverage and award winning magazines and special sections. We also look forward to growing our connection with the community through the amalgamation of 98.3 Wild Country, 101.7 The Torch radio stations and the Sentinel at our new location,” said Jackson County Sentinel Managing Editor Elizabeth Law. “Local news coverage is such an important asset to small-town communities, and choosing to relocate to the square in a newly renovated, state-of-the-art facility is only the beginning of Southern Torch’s commitment to Jackson County as these companies look to thrive and provide a home for these valuable resources needed to contribute print and broadcast to our area.”

When Southern Torch purchased WKEA-FM and WMXN-FM in 2019 the intention was to move the studios to the square in Scottsboro. The previous owners had studios on the parkway and it had been the plan all along to move them back to the square when the lease ended.

“It’s like going back home,” said 98.3 Wild Country broadcaster Brian Anderson. “I am so excited about WKEA FM 98-3 Wild Country returning to the beautiful downtown Scottsboro Square along with WMXN-FM 101.7 and of course The Jackson County Sentinel. I was a radio personality at WKEA FM (formerly K-98) when we were located on the Market Street side of the square. I was a teenager then,” Anderson laughs.  

When the studios moved to new broadcast facilities on the John T Reid Parkway in summer of 1988, Anderson was the first person to broadcast from the new studios. In summer 2013 Southern Torch built a new state-of-the-art studio in Fort Payne and Anderson said he had an emotional on-air sign off on 98-3 Wild Country from the John T Reid Parkway location as they unhooked equipment needed to take to the Fort Payne studio. 

“Now all these years later, I am excited to be the first to broadcast from the new Scottsboro location,” he said. “It’s like the circle of life and it will be great to be home. I always loved First Monday weekends back then, and am excited about being back downtown and be active with the Downtown Scottsboro program that hosts several events on the square including the Trade Days and BBQ Festival.”

98.3 Wild Country and 101.7 The Torch will broadcast out of both the Scottsboro and the Fort Payne studios. Southern Torch’s growth with the acquisition of the Jackson County Sentinel and being combined in the same offices will be an asset to the community.