“The Trading Post” call-in show and “The Bob & Mark Show” have returned on Radiofreecabarrus.com.
“Everywhere I would go, people would ask, ‘When is The Trading Post coming back?’ ” said Bob Brown, who hosted the show for many years.
“We decided to bring it back on the Internet.”
The show and other local programming were on WEGO-AM 1410 before the parent, GHB Broadcasting, decided in late 2008 to combine operations with WAVO-AM in Rock Hill, S.C.
The cost-saving move eliminated a handful of local jobs and most of the local programming.
“The trend in radio has moved to consolidations and large mass markets,” Radio Free Cabarrus General Manager Mark Plemmons said.
“That means for Cabarrus County, instead of five local radio stations from a few years ago, we are left with WRKB, which provides religious broadcasting.”
WPEG-FM and WRFX-FM both originated in Cabarrus County but now serve Charlotte after changes in signal strengths and FCC regulations. WGTL-AM went off the air several years ago and never came back.
“We aim to fill the local void,” Plemmons said. “We are your hometown station. Cabarrus County is a great place to live and work and there are a lot stories to tell.”
Plemmons also is the news and sports director.
Radio Free Cabarrus went on the air Monday and has been fine-tuning technical issues during the first week of broadcasts.
The broadcast day begins with “The Bob & Mark Show” from 6 to 8:30 weekday mornings. It features local news and sports at 7 and 8 a.m., the “What’s Happenin'” community calendar and other specialty programs like “The Short Track Racing Report.”
“The Trading Post” follows from 8:30-10 a.m. Listeners call in on 704-786-0001.
“The Sounds of Cabarrus” fills the rest of the broadcast day, featuring beach music and hits from the late 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and a few from the early 1980s.
Radio Free Cabarrus features local sports. The first live broadcasts are this wee,k with American Legion baseball featuring Concord Post 51 and Kannapolis Post 115. Pre-game time Sunday and Wednesday will be at 6:45 p.m. Several other games will be broadcast during the season.
The Cabarrus County High School Football Game of the Week will be coming in the fall, kicked off in late July with the Preseason Preview featuring interviews with all the local coaches.
During the season, Plemmons and veteran sportscaster John Voncannon will broadcast the games, including a 90-minute pregame show featuring all the local teams.
Radio Free Cabarrus can be heard by going to the Web site ó radiofreecabarrus.com ó and clicking on a link that takes the listener to the broadcast.
Listeners have an option of registering and participating in a live chat during the broadcasts.
All of the broadcasts are archived and can be heard any time after the live broadcast concludes.
“We have a lot of fun with the broadcasts and hope our listeners do, too,” Plemmons said.