By Donna M. Perry,Staff Writer

FARMINGTON – WKTJ, the local radio station that’s been serving generations of people in greater Franklin County since Dec. 21, 1959, is moving closer to the heart of Farmington.

The station, which is broadcast on Channel 99.3 FM, is moving to lower Broadway next door to Farmington Travel by March 1, said Rick Davis, a partner in Clearwater Communications, which now owns Franklin Broadcasting Corp.

They’ve put the radio station building on Voter Hill Road up for sale for $60,000, according to a real estate ad. One offer has already been made on it, Davis said Friday. He said the new owners took over the radio station on Dec. 1 from Nelson Doak and Marc Fischer.

The building that houses the station was built in 1957, Davis said, and the station has outgrown it. The new space will offer more room and convenience to customers who want to tape a commercial and for visitors, such as school groups, to drop by, Davis said

He’s had his eye on buying the station for years, Davis said, as he traveled back and forth to Vermont. He stopped in one day to see if the owners had ever thought of selling and they had, he said. “We’re just excited,” Davis said. “There are not a lot of independent small radio stations in Maine. It’s nice find a small station.”

Clearwater Communications operates three radio stations in the Skowhegan area and is in the process of buying them from MountainWireless Inc., he said. Those stations are Mix 107.9 FM, The River 93.5 FM and The Score, a sports station on 1160 AM, WSKW.

Steve Bull, who’s been with WKTJ for 25 years, will run the Farmington station as the general manager, Davis said.

There will be a couple of changes, including the station playing a musical selection of more tunes predominately from 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

The station will also add ABC news every hour and add Paul Harvey, who is offered sparsely in Maine, Davis said.

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