Chilton WI AM sold, set to move

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Metro North Communications Inc. has a deal to acquire WMBE-AM Chilton WI. But just as the station won’t be staying with its current licensee – and in fact, it’s already being rented to a third party – it also won’t be staying in Chilton. It’s headed to the town of New Holstein. The buyer is headed by Mark Heller.


The seller is Maszka-Pacer Radio Inc., owned in part by Douglas Maszka. Also signing off on the deal is Steven A. Roy, Personal Representative for the Estate of Lyle Evans.

The price is $60K – Heller has placed the entire amount into an escrow account, and it will be used to instantly settle the sale at closing without resort to any additional financing.

Mountain Dog Media is the entity renting the station for the time being. According to Heller, it’s playing a satellite-delivered Country format at the moment. Mountain Dog was to buy the station for $175K, but its owner – one Randy Hopper, a newsmaker for a number of reasons having nothing to do with radio – is said by Heller to have walked away from the deal.

Heller says he will do something with the station that no one has yet done – make it work. WMBE brings a limited arsenal to bear on that task – it’s a 250 W daytimer on 1530 kHz, a fact that will remain unchanged at its new New Holstein digs. However, one of Heller’s 2012 resolutions will be to seek FCC permission for an upgrade.

Its big sister will be Heller’s other station, WGBW-AM Denmark WI (it just moved there from Two Rivers). It hits Green Bay with 10 kW during the day off 1590 kHz.