The Family Radio Network Closes on Eau Claire Purchase

The Family Radio Network has closed on its purchase of a station in the Eau Claire market.

The former WDRK/99.9 (Cornell) changed its callsign to WGNW on Dec. 11, the same day the deal closed. The Christian broadcaster bought the station from the UW-Eau Claire Foundation’s Blugold Radio, LLC for $280,300.

It’s not immediately clear from afar whether WGNW is currently on the air. A new website for the station is being set up at 999.thefamily.net, which is the same domain used by the network’s four other full-power stations in central and eastern Wisconsin.

The network’s stations carry Christian teaching and preaching and Contemporary Christian music. In Eau Claire, “The Family” will primarily compete with locally-owned WWIB/103.7 (Hallie).

Blugold had operated the former commercial station for four years, programming a broad playlist highlighting local artists and national independent artists most recently known as “Converge Radio.” Converge says it will continue as a web stream.