Montgomery County’s two largest news outlets announced Thursday they will join together as news gathering partners beginning today.
Leadership at the Journal Review and Forcht Broadcasting, which owns Crawfordsville Radio’s three local radio stations, reached an agreement earlier this week.
Both news media outlets believe local residents will benefit from the new partnership.
“I am very ecstatic about the opportunity to partner with the local radio stations,” Journal Review Publisher Shawn Storie said. “Our commitment to serving the community will now become stronger. Together, we will provide better service to our listeners and readers throughout the county, keeping them informed of the latest news and events.”
Crawfordsville Radio manager Dave Peach also is excited about the new partnership and expects it to be good for Montgomery County.
“We feel strongly that our listeners and the Journal Review readers are going to benefit from this partnership,” Peach said. “We are very excited to be working with the staff of the Journal Review. This is a very exciting time at the Crawfordsville Radio stations.”
Both companies have proven longevity in the area. The Journal Review started covering local news in 1841. Crawfordsville Radio, which started as WCVL 1550 AM, began in 1964. Two FM stations, Thunder 103.9 and Country for the Heartland 106.3, which began operating in 1973 and 2000 respectively, also fly under the Crawfordsville Radio banner.
The Journal Review actually owned the first radio station in Montgomery County when the local newspaper licensed WFMU 102.9 FM in 1948. In 1951, the newspaper sold the FM transmitter to the Crawfordsville First Baptist Church, which started broadcasting its weekly worship services.