Nashville, Tennessee: Garth Brooks Buys Lightning 100's 100.1 FM Frequency for $3 Million, Plans Country Station FM-100

Garth Brooks is buying the Nashville radio frequency that has carried Lightning 100 for decades. His Sevens Network, LLC has agreed to acquire WRLT-FM 100.1 from Tuned In Broadcasting for $3 million, RadioInsight and Inside Radio reported. The sale needs Federal Communications Commission approval.

The agreement was shared on Tuesday, Nov. 10, by Lester Turner, president of Tuned In Broadcasting, Inc. and Lightning 100, the Nashville Tennessean reported. Turner said the deal moves the 100.1 FM frequency to Sevens Network but keeps Lightning 100 on the air at a new place on the dial. "We are disappointed to leave our home at 100.1 FM but thrilled to have Cromwell Media Nashville as our partner in this transition," Turner said. At closing, its adult album alternative format will move to Cromwell Media's 106.3 FM and 102.5 HD3 frequencies, and new WFLP call letters are pending for the 100.1 frequency, RadioInsight reported.

A service station, in the plan Brooks described

In a statement on his website, Brooks said he wants the new station, called FM-100, to be the "Voice of Music City," playing the "entire family of country music" and focusing on local and breaking news. "This is an opportunity to bring the entire family of Country Music together in one spot, the legends, the greats, and the future greats," Brooks said. He said FM-100 will feature female country artists prominently, alongside legacy artists, and that the Nashville Severe Weather service will interrupt regular broadcasts to get critical weather information to people when needed. "Our job is NOT to compete with the local channels in Nashville, but to PROMOTE what they have going on," Brooks said. "We are NOT a reporter, we are a SERVICE to Music City and its businesses."

How the deal started

Brooks said he began the deal in an effort to help Lightning 100 through a difficult financial situation, the Tennessean reported. RadioInsight reported that the idea began last year when Brooks saw a 2020 post from the station asking for financial support and thought the post was current. "A country artist buying an indie-rock station made no sense," Brooks said. "This way, the owner gets help in funding. The station lives on, while the new FM-100 finds a home in the middle of the FM dial."

The sale follows the end of Brooks's partnership with TuneIn, which launched in June 2023 with The BIG 615 and also carried Tailgate Radio and The Garth Channel. The Garth Channel and Tailgate Radio signed off on Sept. 22, Inside Radio reported, after TuneIn was acquired by the Stingray Group.

What listeners keep, and what changes

Lightning 100 has been locally owned and operated for 36 years and is billed as Nashville's longest running independent radio station. The station founded and produces Live On The Green, one of the city's signature music festivals, and has twice received the National Association of Broadcasters Crystal Award for community service, The Music Universe reported. None of that ends with the sale. Lightning 100 keeps its name, format and programming at 106.3 FM and 102.5 HD3 once the deal closes. What changes is 100.1 FM. If the FCC approves the sale, that spot becomes a country station built around service to the city, and Lightning 100 listeners will need the new frequencies.