“COUNTRY MUSIC is three chords and the truth,” said songwriter Harlan Howard. In today’s digital world, it has become more chords and less truth. The truth is still out there but with production, autotune, polish, and AI, you have to look a little harder to find it.
Much like music, radio has faced the same growing pains. Automation, syndication, and programmed playlists may have their place. However, none of it compares to waking up to a familiar voice that knows your town and understands what matters to the people listening.
That style of radio is here in Lebanon. They have been making waves, and not just on the air.
In a male-dominated industry, Susie James is one of the few women who hold a license to a radio station. Women hold a majority ownership stake in only about 10% of commercial stations nationwide. She started WANT 98.9 in 1993 and revived WCOR AM 1490.
Her stepdad, Bill Berry, owned stations in Nashville and won the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters’ (TAB) Distinguished Service Award. She was the first woman in radio to win that same award. James made some noise when the local station went silent. With a background as a real estate agent, she thought that if she could sell houses, she could sell airtime.
In her 20s, James set out to secure her own frequency, but it was far more complicated than simply buying a building. “I filed an application with the FCC for a new license. It took several years and a lot more money than I had anticipated,” she explained. “I went to D.C. by myself for a hearing process in front of the Federal Communications Commission, while the old WCOR station had gone off the air and the building was being foreclosed on. It was nothing like selling houses, but I hired good people, and we are still here.”
The format is a mix of classic and contemporary country, deeply rooted in the community, and includes programs such as Coleman & Company, featuring Coleman Walker. Listeners can hear local conversations with recurring guests, and on Sundays, the station offers faith-based programming and gospel music. MJ Lucas is the voice you wake up to in the morning; she has been on the air for 40 years, 30 of those at WANT. Coleman started in radio in 1961, Billy Goodman serves as operations manager, and Preston Martinez is the voice on the ride home.
On election nights, Walker and Judge Barry Tatum deliver results in real time as candidates gather inside the studio.
When storms hit, emergency officials go live with shelter updates and recovery information. On Friday nights, high school football takes over the airwaves, followed by a countywide scoreboard show. Cumberland University games stream to families across the country. James noted that, for families who can’t be at the game, broadcasts provide a vital link.
Recently, the station invested in a major transmitter upgrade. The original unit once filled the room like a small refrigerator. Today, two compact blue boxes sit neatly mounted inside the old rack after engineers gutted the previous Henry transmitter and reused the structure to save money.
With the upgrade, WANT returned to 100% of its FCC-licensed power, restoring full signal strength and reliability.
Technology has changed. “Hair and weight are subject to change,” James and Lucas joked, referencing their many shades of hair color over the decades. The format and mission have not. Before WANT ever signed on, she wrote a mission statement promising to bring positive entertainment and information to the community and to operate with high moral character in everything the station does. It still hangs in the lobby, just as it did 33 years ago. In a time when much of radio is syndicated and automated, she’s protecting something local and real.
Listeners hear legends like George Jones and Tammy Wynette; they can even hear Riley Green and Ella Langley. James is working hard to keep the local station alive and remains committed to the belief that classic country still has a place on today’s dial.
Country music may not always be three chords anymore, but Harlan Howard would be happy to know that his truth can still be heard on the radio in Lebanon. GN
Listeners can tune in on the radio or online, and The Coleman Show also streams on Facebook Live. WANT 98.9 maintains an online stream and active social channels where program updates, recorded interviews, and community announcements are regularly shared.
