By Maurice Patton
Kennedy Broadcasting Company and Summit High School recently announced a partnership, under which the Columbia-based radio station will broadcast the Williamson County school’s football and basketball games on its FM frequency, 101.7 (WKOM).
Additionally, WKOM will host a one-hour weekly coach’s show in season, featuring staff, athletes and administrators.
“We want to really try to expand our area as far as coverage and get into the Williamson County area, for the simple fact that they don’t have an FM station,” newly named station manager Clayton Harris said in confirming the agreement. “We thought if we could get hooked up with a school in Williamson County, that would be good.”
The station, purchased by Delk Kennedy earlier this year, increased its signal strength – allowing WKOM to reach as far as southern Davidson County.
“We think it’s going to be a good deal,” Summit athletics director Chad Kirby said. “They’re going to do all of football and basketball, and they’re talking about baseball as well.”
Over the past six months, Summit advanced to the Class 5A football state championship game and the Class AAA boys basketball state sectionals.
“Winning cures a lot; everybody wants to get on board,” Kirby said. “They’re getting on at the right time. We’re going to be competitive, that’s for sure.”
“This is how (football coach Brian Coleman) and myself grew up. He was at Forrest (in Chapel Hill) at the same time I was at Marshall County. It’s hard to get that hometown feeling in Williamson County because it’s not anybody’s hometown. Hopefully we can create what it used to be for a lot of us.”
Previously, Columbia Academy football games had aired on WKOM, with WKRM (1340-AM/103.7-FM) carrying Columbia Central football and basketball. Longtime Central play-by-play announcer Mike Epley is expected to handle those duties for Summit broadcasts, with his successor yet to be determined.
The two stations will also air a postgame scoreboard show on Friday nights. Additionally, Kennedy Broadcasting will carry both Tennessee and Alabama football this fall, according to Harris. WKOM also carries TriStar Sports Live, a regional sports talk show airing from 6-8 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays.
