The divestment of Reach Communications’ broadcast properties—a string of FM translators designed to bring the signal of 100kw Class C1 WREH-FM 90.5 in Cypress Quarters, FL to the Miami-Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Fort Pierce-Vero Beach, Fla. Markets—has continued with the sale of a Treasure Coast property to a local for-profit player.
W236AO, a 13-watt class D translator at 95.1 MHz licensed to Port St. Lucie, Fla. that actually covers the city of Fort Pierce, to the north, has been acquired by Glades Media for $50,000.
Glades Media operates 13 stations in the Lake Okeechobee area of Florida. Many of the stations’ signals reach the West Palm Beach and Fort Pierce markets, as well as the Sebring, Fla. and Fort Myers-Naples, Fla. markets.
Among the properties are class A regional Mexican WLLY-FM 99.5 “La Ley” in Palm Beach Gardens; and Spanish Contemporary WWRF-AM 1380 “Radio Fiesta” in Lake Worth, serving West Palm Beach. WWRF also has an FM translator licensed to Lake Worth.
Glades also operates Classic Hits WAFC-AM 590, which is rebroadcast on two translators in Clewiston and Belle Glade, Fla., respectively; regional Mexican WAFZ-AM 1490 & FM 92.1 in Immokalee, Fla.; Rock WKYZ-FM 101.7 “Pirate Radio” in Key Colony Beach, Fla. (with a translator at 96.7 MHz in Key West); and Country Oldies WOKC-AM 1570 in Okeechobee, which has an FM translator at 100.9 MHz.
Glades did not disclose in its Form 345 filing with the FCC how it will use W236AO. However, it is expected the FM translator will be used for either WLLY or WWRF, expanding its coverage to the northern part of the West Palm Beach DMA.
Reach FM was founded 12 years ago as a locally based Christian voice, providing South Florida radio listeners with talk and teaching programs alongside Christian Contemporary music. On March 30, Reach FM ceased its regular programming, and announced that it was selling off its assets due to increased competition.
“Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, which founded and operated ReachFM, has made the decision to focus its ministry efforts and resources on other ways to advance its mission of connecting people to God, people to people, and people to outreach,” the company stated in a message appearing at its website.
“The staff of ReachFM and the leadership of Calvary Chapel are actively working to transfer ownership and operation of ReachFM’s various frequencies as much as possible to other Christian radio ministries.”
That wasn’t the case with its Fort Pierce translator.
Reach Communications competed against highly successful Christian CCM WAYF-FM 88.1 “Way FM,” Moody Radio’s Christian Talk & Teaching WRMB-FM 89.3, Bible Broadcasting Network’s WYBP-FM 90.3, and National Christian Network’s WCNO-FM 89.9. Then, in July 2015, Classical South Florida—owned by American Public Media Group—suddenly folded, with WKCP-FM 89.7 in Miami and WPBI-FM 90.1 in West Palm Beach going to Educational Media Foundation. The stations added the CCM “KLove” format, making Reach’s efforts even more difficult.
