The Telecommunications Act of 1996 and its predecessors have had a profound effect on small market radio, especially rural, unranked stations (market size less than 50,000) In many cases, stations in such markets geographically close to medium and major markets have been purchased for the purpose of gaining an inroad into the larger market, even though no frequency assignments are available For example, stations in the Hillsboro, Lincoln, Jacksonville, Taylorville, and Virden, Illinois markets have been purchased solely for the purpose of serving the Springfield, Illinois market The result is the loss of a local voice for listeners in the affected markets In spite of this trend, some rural market, locally owned stations continue to thrive Using a case study approach, this research sought to identify the factors leading to success Unranked radio stations in Illinois were surveyed to determine four of the best, locally owned success stories Inperson, structured interviews with key personnel in each of the case study stations were used to gather data indicative of successful practices The public file for each operation was reviewed and onair programming was monitored Where available, review of local newspapers was used to supplement and crossreference information gathered through the survey and interview process