Drive-time radio traffic service Skywatch Traffic LLC filed suit this week against Cumulus Media Inc., one of the nation's major broadcasting companies and owner of five FM stations in Nashville, accusing the media giant of breach of contract.
The lawsuit, filed in Davidson County Circuit Court, claims Cumulus left Skywatch high and dry when it changed the format of 106.7-WNFN at the end of July 2009. WNFN had been a sports-talk station known as "The Fan," but it switched to a top-40 format under the brand i106.
Skywatch had sold advertising to run during its traffic segments in the morning and evening, but it says the station's managers dropped its reports when the format change happened — and then went with a competitor, Westwood One Metro Traffic, as soon as the Skywatch contract had run its course.
Skywatch says Cumulus has violated the terms of the contract between the two, not least because it was not supposed to work with competing traffic services during the term of the deal and yet had a "business relationship" with Westwood One during the term of the relationship.
The company seeks unspecified damages.
Nashville attorney Anthony Burns represents Skywatch. Efforts to reach Atlanta-based representatives of Cumulus on Tuesday were unsuccesful.
The Cumulus FM stations in the Nashville market are as follows:
Nashville |
Skywatch Traffic LLC |
Cumulus Media Inc. |
Anthony Burns |
Litigation |
Nashville media |
Knowledge
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