Liberman spins again in Houston market

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Fresh on the heels of selling a Houston-area FM to a noncommercial broadcaster, Liberman Broadcasting Inc. is spinning an AM to a broadcaster that swims in both commercial and noncommercial waters. The Liberman cluster had been of the oversized grandfathered variety, and includes a full power television station.


The current deal will send KJOJ-AM Conroe TX to DAIJ Media LLC, headed by Roberto and Ruben Villarreal. They are already operating in the Houston market with two AMs and an FM.

Liberman, headed by Lenard D. Liberman, will make an even $1M cash for the station.

The prior deal, for KNTE-FM El Campo TX, was with KSBJ Educational Foundation and went into the books for $2.1M cash.

LBI local station inventory will still be over the normal statute of limitations. It includes KZJL-TV, and the remaining radio properties include KJOJ-FM, KTJM-FM, KQQK-FM, KXGJ-FM, KIOX-FM, KQUE-AM, KEYH-AM & KSEV-AM.

KJOJ-AM is a Class B on 880 kHz with 10 kW-D, 1 kW-N, DA2. Its daytime main contour covers most of the urban area, and is weaker to the southeast. It is much more limited after dark.

The big station in the DAIJ cluster is KRTX-AM Rosenberg-Richmond, a Class B on 980 kHz. Its 5 kW-D, 4 kW-N D2 signal puts primary coverage over most of the market.

KBRZ-AM Missouri City is a Class D on 1460 kHz with 5 kW-D, 125 W-N, ND. Its contour during the day is about on par with that of KJOJ; at night, the low power fishbowls it into a very small localized area to the west of town.

The application for DAIJ lists the company as a commercial operation, but the company listed KFTG-FM Pasadena among the local stations in which the principals have an interest. But this one is decidedly on the non-profit side, as befits a Class A on 88.1 MHz. It is not a full-market signal, with 700 W @ 187’ hitting a small part of the market’s east side.