RHS radio broadcasts move to FM station
Russellville football fans will have a new place to turn this season to hear their Golden Tigers on the radio.
The high school booster club has entered into an agreement with 95.5 WFMH, whose tower is located in Spruce Pine, to cover the radio broadcasts of Russellville sporting events.
The move from 920 WGOL-AM to the FM 95.5 will not affect any of the coverage fans are accustomed to.
Dr. Tim Bishop returns for his 32nd year as the voice of the Golden Tigers alongside color analyst and former Russellville and University of North Alabama quarterback Charles Hogan.
School officials said both stations were asked to submit bids for the coverage and in the end, the move was made to 95.5.
Bids were asked to be submitted in two different ways. The first was based on the radio stations paying the school for the right to carry the games. The second bid was to be based on the school purchasing airtime from the station, thus allowing them to sell the advertising time.
“The FM station turned in the best bid,” Russellville football coach Doug Goodwin said.
Tommy “Hutty” Hutcheson, who owns 95.5 WFMH, said the school booster club will handle the selling of advertisements and the on-air talent.
“I am letting the school take care of it the way they want,” Hutcheson said.
“I just want to do whatever I can to provide the best radio station I can for them. The Golden Tigers’ football team is one of the best in the state and I am trying to make my radio station the same way.”
Hutcheson said the station can be heard throughout northwest Alabama and northeast Mississippi.
“We have the most watts in Franklin, Marion and Winston counties and I am planning to up the wattage even more,” he said.
One feature that Hutcheson thinks fans will like is the capability of listening to the station during road games. Fans inside the stadium will have the opportunity to tune into games even while the Golden Tigers are on the road.
“This is the same thing Alabama and Auburn has been doing for several years,” he said. “Now, you can do that for a Russellville game too. If you take your radio into the stadium with you and tune in, you can pick up the game, even if they are playing in Birmingham of somewhere else out of this area.”
The broadcasts will begin each Friday with the Doug Goodwin Show at 6:30 p.m. starting Aug. 27 prior to the Russellville-Deshler season opener. A post-game coach’s show with Goodwin will follow each broadcast.
