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TOP STORY OF THE DAY, brought to you free by WICU: DLC Media celebrating five years of bringing radio back to downtown Brazil
January 30th marks the 5-year anniversary of DLC Media bringing Clay County its radio stations back to Brazil, and Dave Crooks (who wears hats as president, general manager and owner) is thrilled with the radio business and how it has thrived here.
From 1983-1988, Crooks was the Sales Manager at the former WSDM and WBZL located on White Rock Road in Brazil.
When he departed Brazil 34 years ago, his professional career took him to other radio stations in Peoria and Springfield, Illinois, as well as Indianapolis and Bedford.
In 1993, he became a part owner of two radio stations in Washington and Vincennes, Indiana.
He sold his interest in those stations on the last day of 1999.
In 2001, he purchased two other Washington, Indiana, radio stations. In 2012, he added WAXI 104.9 in Rockville and in 2016, he purchased WAKO AM & FM in Lawrenceville, Illinois.
A few months later, he added four more stations in Brazil, Seelyville and West Terre Haute.
As collection of stations grew, Crooks said his fellow radio station owners did not foresee his plans.
“Colleagues assumed I would build new studios and offices in downtown Terre Haute,” he said. “However, Terre Haute already had five radio stations. When I discovered the former Jack Leifheit Men’s Store at 111 West National Avenue was for sale, I decided I would invest in Brazil and Clay County and bring local radio back to this community instead of Terre Haute”.
Crooks admits he gambled his life savings on the move to Brazil.
“There were moments I wasn’t sure this was going to work. It was a struggle to find the right staff. Then, the Covid-19 pandemic occurred, and business took a steep nose-dive. However, I had a buyer for my two Washington stations. An employee who started working for me in 1993 when he was only 15 found a way to buy me out and I used those proceeds to pay most of my debt in Clay County”.
Crooks admits a lot of hard work by a great staff along with PPP Funds helped save his company from near disaster.
The three radio stations broadcasting from Downtown Brazil include: 92.7 The Rock WFNB, featuring Active Rock music, The Bob & Tom Show and Indiana University Sports. 1130, 106.9, 99.5 The Breeze WAMB, featuring Soft Adult Contemporary music, Northview Knights and Purdue University Sports, 105.5 The Legend WVIG — featuring Classic Country music, nationally recognized Country Music Hall of Fame Morning Show host Barry Kent — as well as Indiana State University Sports.
An admitted hard-core sports fan, particularly of the Cincinnati Reds, Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals, Crooks has invested a lot of time and money into putting sports on the radio.
“I’ll admit, the first couple of years we started doing the Northview games it was a struggle,” he said. “Not only getting sponsors, but most importantly getting people into the habit of knowing the games are on the radio. Now after five years, it’s paying off. People let us know on the street that they appreciate the coverage and sponsorships are up. Northview High School sports is No. 1 among our local products, but taking the Indiana State University contract away from one of our competitors in Terre Haute was huge. Also having Indiana and Purdue to go along with them is big. I’m a big believer in audio sports on the radio.”
Crooks thinks all local media are important to the community.
“I am big believer in the value of local media, especially local radio. We provide National and Local news 365 days a year. We promote many local events. It’s our job to keep residents informed and entertained 24 hours a day”. Crooks added, “Traditional media is alive and well. Communities like Brazil would lose if the local radio stations and local newspaper disappeared. Local business owners who partner with local media like mine quickly discover they can promote their business for a reasonable cost and get a positive return on their investment. When retailers invest in my company or outlets like the Brazil Times, that investment stays here”.
Crooks and his wife Shelley moved to Clay County in 2017.
“We love our home. Clay County is a great place to live. We are glad to be here.”
Crooks is an active member of the Brazil Rotary Club where he serves on the board. He is in charge of marketing and entertainment for the annual 4th of July Celebration. His lives the Rotary motto of “Service above self”.
As if a pandemic and maintaining so many radio stations isn’t tough enough, Crooks had a tumor removed from the edge of his brain in June 2020.
“That made even more memories on top of COVID,” said Crooks, who has no lingering effects from the surgery.
Crooks is also a retired Indiana State Legislator. He was elected in 1996 as State Representative. He won 6 terms before retiring in 2008. In 2012, Crooks won the Democratic nomination for United States Congress in Indiana’s 8th District. However, he lost the General Election to Freshman Larry Bucshon.
“I believe my days in politics are behind me. When I served, we were not as divided. Today’s political landscape is so toxic I can’t imagine serving now. I am a pragmatic businessman. I like fixing things. However, it seems to me Government at the State and Federal level is so broken it would drive me crazy not get anything accomplished. I believe I’m better-off creating a path to a retirement”.
Crooks admits that keeping up with the times is necessary, and he is exploring adding a livestreaming component to his local sports broadcasts.
“Everything we do, we try to make it as best we can,” he said. “It’s not cheap, but I try to do things the right way.”
