WGIL 93.7 FM and 1400 AM and its Galesburg sister stations are being sold to Civic Media, a Madison, Wisconsin, company that owns radio stations in Wisconsin, Northern Michigan and Iowa.

John C. “LJ” Pritchard, son of the late owner John T. Pritchard, and his mother, Jane Pritchard, announced the sale to Galesburg Broadcasting employees at noon Tuesday, Oct. 13. Herb Cody, regional general manager for Civic Media’s Iowa region, also attended, addressed employees and answered their questions.

Civic Media has reached agreements with Pritchard Broadcasting Corporation, Titan Broadcasting, LLC, and Galesburg Broadcasting Company to acquire 13 radio stations serving West Central Illinois and Southeast Iowa, according to a news release issued Tuesday. The sales are pending approval by the Federal Communications Commission.

The Galesburg stations in the sale are WGIL 93.7 FM/1400 AM, FM 95 WAAG, 92.7 The Laser, 105.3 KFM and Classic Hits Z106.1.

The sale also includes stations serving Burlington and Southeast Iowa: News Radio 99.3/1490 KBUR, 93.5 KKMI, Big Country 103.1, Fox Sports 104.5/1360 KBKB-AM, Hot 97.3, KQ92, The New Mix 107.3 KGRS and 101.7 The Bull.

“While we are sad to see the end of the Pritchard family’s long-standing media legacy in Galesburg, joining Civic Media brings valuable resources for our team and a shared commitment to our local community,” said Roger Lundeen, general manager of Galesburg Broadcasting.

“We look forward to investing in Galesburg, strengthening our commitment to local information, community involvement, and helping the businesses we serve grow and succeed.”

Civic Media describes itself as a public benefit corporation “dedicated to providing quality broadcast and digital hometown radio focusing on local, regional, and state issues, covering the stories that are most relevant to the markets we serve.” Sage Weil is its CEO and founder.

“These stations have earned an important place in their communities through relationships they have built with listeners, local businesses, and community organizations. We recognize the value of those local connections and look forward to building on that foundation as we expand our presence into these markets,” Weil said in the release.

“Listeners can continue to look to these stations for familiar programming, and advertisers can continue to look to these stations to provide opportunities to partner in their growth,” Weil said.

Pritchard family ownership

Pritchard Broadcasting Corporation and Galesburg Broadcasting Company were owned and operated by John T. Pritchard until his death in August 2026. Titan Broadcasting, LLC, has been owned by LJ Pritchard since 2007.

“Like my father, I believe strongly that small towns need their own media outlets to help disseminate important local information, support a vibrant business community and keep the local public informed about hyper-local matters,” LJ Pritchard said.

“Joining the Civic Media family provides the best path forward for these stations to continue to serve the local communities today and grow and flourish long into the future,” he said.

Read WGIL’s story remembering John Pritchard

What Civic Media says comes next

“We are excited about these stations in Southeast Iowa and West Central Illinois joining our growing portfolio of hometown radio. Across our footprint, we are committed to covering the stories most relevant to the markets we serve. We believe radio plays a crucial role in our local communities and we look forward to supporting the teams at Titan Broadcasting, Pritchard Broadcasting Corporation, and Galesburg Broadcasting Company in fulfilling that role,” Weil said.