Radio and Television Transactions

The ownership lineup of broadcast group Access.1 Communications Corporation is changing, and that will cost two over-sized radio clusters their grandfathered status. That means...

A New Jersey radio station is going from Blackstrap Broadcasting to Davidzon Radio

Two dormant AMs are picked up by a local broadcaster; Christian noncomm gets AM-FM Wisconsin pair

The future of an AM in the Valley of the Sun will not include a successful banker who made headlines in 2001 for his participation as an aviator in the London to Sydney Air Race. That's because this individual, and his wife, have lost ownership of this facility some 5 1/2 years after filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.

Confirming rumors that a deal was imminent, Emmis Communications has agreed to sell its CHR/Rhythmic KPWR-FM 105.9 "Power 106" in Los Angeles to an affiliate of the Meruelo Group for $82.75 million.

An unbuilt Class A FM station serving the Monroe, La., market will soon be spreading the word through Christian Contemporary Music, courtesy of Mike Novak's ever-growing Educational Media Foundation. That's the lead deal in RBR+TVBR's TRANSACTIONS TODAY.

In a sign of the times, Wisconsin's "most powerful radio station" is getting a translator as it attempts to lure FM radio listeners who rarely, if ever, go to the AM band. We've got an RBR+TVBR Observation on the subject, which begs the question if radio companies should just turn off AM stations already.

Gordon P. Ackley is widely known across the U.S. Virgin Islands for an unsuccessful 2016 write-in campaign as the Republican candidate for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He's also known as the owner of four stations in the three-island territory. On Sept. 1, he'll no longer hold any ownership interest in two of those FMs, and an FM translator. It's the lone deal in RBR+TVBR's TRANSACTIONS TODAY for Tuesday, Aug. 29.

It's not often that Educational Media Foundation decides to sell a radio station, given its ravenous appetite for expansion opportunities for its Christian Contemporary Music KLOVE and Air1 noncommercial formats. Yet, EMF is selling a Class A in the Lafayette, Ind., market, and the buyer is howlingly happy about the deal.

The Probate Division of the Mississippi County, Mo. Circuit Court has rendered a decision regarding a bid to acquire the assets of Usher Broadcasting. The bid from a local broadcaster is "just and appropriate," and this has allowed the company to sell its holdings — an AM/FM combo — in a deal officially consummated on Oct. 26. It's our lead deal in RBR+TVBR's TRANSACTIONS TODAY for Thursday, Nov. 2, which also sees a co-channel FM translator to an Air1 station in Southern California get snagged by Educational Media Foundation.

To the far northeast of Tucson, in a largely rural area where the Gila River flows, is a three-station station group serving a population that can tune to five commercially licensed FM stations and three local AMs. The three stations are heading to a new owner, thanks to an asset purchase agreement signed on Dec. 8 and filed with the Commission on Tuesday.

With 34 radio stations across eight mid-sized markets, the FMs and handful of AMs now up for sale by The E.W. Scripps Co. will likely attract a wide array of potential suitors. Will one company swoop in to buy all of the stations? One top media broker tells RBR+TVBR that's not likely.

It was the intention of Cumulus Media to acquire two radio stations in the Windy City from Merlin Media. However, Cumulus' financial difficulties led to the eventual dismantling of a deal that would have seen it obtain WKQX-FM "Q101" and WLUP-FM 97.9. Now, Merlin Media — the company led by noted radio industry veteran Randy Michaels — is selling WLUP. Cue up "Jesus Is Just Alright" — a switch to a noncommercial Christian Contemporary music format is coming for the storied Rocker. ​​​​

Between Mason City, Iowa and Rochester, Minn. is a town that's home to "Classic Country Legends," airing on a Class B AM owned and operated by a local broadcast company. That's about to change: A North Dakota-based nonprofit entity is acquiring the facility. It's our top transaction in TRANSACTIONS TODAY from RBR+TVBR.

In what is one of the first deals to arrive following the FCC's November 2017 decision to end its 42-year-old newspaper/broadcast media cross-ownership rules, the owner of a daily newspaper serving a city on the western slope of the Colorado Rockies has agreed to purchase an FM and its three associated translators for an undisclosed price.