Broadcast entrepreneur and his companies have significant reach
Radio is in the blood of Steve Davenport, founder and sole owner of SuperTalk Mississippi Media. He grew up in Pascagoula as one of six boys and one girl and began working part-time for a local radio station at 16. It’s been a purposeful and steady climb from those days to become the media mogul he is today. The multi-media company that today consists of four statewide radio networks, 12 talk stations, 16 music stations, SuperTalk TV, 50 radio affiliates, and a digital sales division began with a teenager’s simple wish.
“I wanted to be a sports announcer and followed that path doing play-by-play announcing in community college,” he recalls. “I found out quick that broadcasting ballgames was fun, but there was no money in it.” That decision led to a job in radio sales in Columbus, MS. He continued to travel and change broadcasting jobs until 1979. Dis-couraged at that point, he moved to Dallas, Texas. “I was 26 and had no money; that lasted about six months until I moved to San Angelo, where I worked at a radio station across from a goat farm. Some investors and I tried to put a deal together, but it failed, and I left there with no job and no money at the age of 27. I had to get my dad to wire me $25 for gas to get home.”
After returning home to Pascagoula, Davenport lived with his sister and worked at a station in Bay St. Louis. That’s when he met Coast broadcasting executive Jimmy Love. Love had just bought a radio station and news network in Jackson and he asked Davenport to manage the network. A year later, Love sold the network to Baton Rouge-based Interstate Communications, but Daven-port stayed on with Interstate to manage the Mississippi News and Agriculture Network. To compliment the Network, Davenport quickly added college sports by acquiring the media rights to Mississippi State, USM, and Ole Miss. In 1983, Davenport formed a 50/50 partnership with the Henley family of Hazlehurst and purchased the Mississippi News and Agricultural Network from Interstate. “That was a turning point for me,” he said. “It was a steady upward climb from that point, leading to the purchase of radio properties across Mississippi.”
Thus, TeleSouth Communications doing business as SuperTalk Mississippi Media was born. “It was Steve’s vision to create a conservative talk network that covered the entire state,” said Kim Dillon, president of parent company TeleSouth Communications. “The expansion of SuperTalk throughout the state allowed listeners to express their opinions and views to fellow Mississippians.”
Radio stations were purchased to support the news service, and Davenport sold the sports properties and started to invest in digital technology. “It was important for us to embrace all the new digital platforms available to deliver our programming,” he said.
When asked what has made his company successful, he gave credit to the employees. “I am very proud of our staff. We try to hire the best employees possible, mainly in Mississippi.” The company has over 100 such employees.
Now celebrating 55 years in broadcast and the 40th year of SuperTalk Mississippi Media, Davenport sees more growth and change in broadcasting. “If you didn’t change 15 years ago, you’re in trouble,” he said. “We had the foresight not to be afraid to make changes; we embraced it. The future of radio is positive.”
Dillon pointed out that SuperTalk Mississippi Media is expanding its digital assets, such as podcasts, SuperTalk TV, and SuperTalk Mississippi Media (STMM) Digital, and there is more to come.
Now 74, Davenport said he never envisioned what his radio career would become. Asked about retirement, he said, “Retirement is way overrated. I love what I’m doing.”
