WSML which aired in the late morning, at the time WSJS was airing Dr. Laura. While WSJS aired Rush Limbaugh, WSML had Paul Harvey and religious programming. WSJS aired UNC football and basketball, while WSML carried N.C. State sports. Dunn left WSJS/WSML after a year because new station management wanted more of a focus on political talk. WSML was the only area station airing the NHL Carolina Hurricanes early in the 1998–99 season. WSJS had the NFL Carolina Panthers and the NBA Charlotte Hornets. WSJS and WTQR were sold to Clear Channel Communications in 1997. 2000s When Clear Channel merged with AMFM, WSJS was sold to CBS Radio (then called Infinity) in 2000. The Infinity purchase meant WSJS dropped Paul Harvey and added Charles Osgood and The Dan Rather Report. CBS network newscasts replaced those from ABC Radio News. WSJS carried the Winston-Salem Warthogs minor league baseball team for two seasons starting in 2003. WSJS dropped Dr. Laura late in 2003, replacing her with Laura Ingraham in the late morning slot; Ingraham had been on WSJS late at night. Beth Ann McBride was a producer and assistant continuity director in 2002 and 2003, and she became producer of the Don and Mike Show before returning to WSJS in December 2005 as program director and afternoon host, replacing Fenley. On February 14, 2007, WSJS (along with its sister station WMFR and simulcast partner WSML) was sold by CBS to Raleigh-based Curtis Media Group. This move marries WSJS with FM news/talk station WZTK, which covers both the Triad and Triangle (as well as southern Virginia and as far south as Fayetteville). This was the beginning of big changes at WSJS during 2007. McBride left her jobs as program director and host of the afternoon show "The Ride with McBride." News director Costner had already left the station for News 14 Carolina late in 2006. Ed Skurka, news director for Clear Channel's Greensboro-area stations, became WSJS/WMFR news anchor. Also in 2007, Brian Freeman became news and programming director, as well as morning host, replacing Scott, who announced his retirement May 14. Smith Patterson and J. R. Snider remained a part of the show. Freeman left WSJS in December 2009 just before then Station Manager Tom Hamilton was stopped for drinking and driving while coming home from the annual North Carolina Wine Festival which his station promoted and ran. Curtis Media Group announced that