 Bridge announced the sale of KLUE to McLarty Communications of Little Rock, Arkansas in 1980.Among the programs carried by the station in the early years of McLarty ownership was the 1982 "The Beatles at the Beeb" special consisting of BBC studio sessions unheard until that point in the United States.Pine Tree Media of Texarkana, Texas, the final owners of the 1280 frequency, acquired KLUE from McLarty in 1982; the station continued with its adult contemporary format until flipping to country in June 1984.