Hispanic specialist Liberman Broadcasting is committing $15M cash to the acquisition of a bilingual FM station in Phoenix AZ. It has agreed to acquire KVIB-FM there from Sun City Communications. It’s already put $800K in escrow. This follows on the group’s August announcement that it was setting up shop in Phoenix with KVPA-LP, a low power television station it’s buying from Latin American Broadcasting of Arizona for
$1.25M. There are no cross-ownership implications between any media outlet and a low power television station.
RBR/TVBR observation: An LPTV can be an extremely effective voice in the local media market if it has good cable carriage. There is plenty of Hispanic audience in Phoenix, no doubt hungry for programming options. Liberman should have an excellent shot at being an effective competitor there, particularly with an FM station to help build a TV following.
