A three-AM one-FM radio cluster serving the Albany-Schenectady-Troy market will become the only radio properties of Empire Broadcasting Corporation once a newly-filed transaction hits the finish line.
The deal includes WABY-AM Mechanicville, WQAR-FM Stillwater, WUAM-AM Waterviliet and WVKZ-AM Schenectady, all in New York. Also included in the deal is FM translator W291BY Albany NY.
The seller is Anastos Media Group, headed by Phillip Anastos.
Empire has three 25% stakeholders, including president Joseph A. Reilly, Joseph C. Tardy and Neerav R. Patel; and three 8.3% stakeholders, including Eugene E. Napierski, Anthony P. Hazapis and Thomas R. Tyrrell.
The price for the quartet of stations will be $1.2M cash. Brokerage Frank Boyle & Company LLC is holding a $60K deposit, and brokerage R.L. Sharpe Ltd. was also in on the festivities.
This particular collection of stations in unique in that it includes a Class A, a B, a C and a D. We haven’t seen that kind of breakdown very often, if at all. Here are the details.
* WABY-AM is the B, operating on 1160 kHz with 5 kW-D, 570 W-N, ND. It plays standard and hits the market pretty well during the days, with more of a northern orientation at night.
* WQAR-FM is the A, on 101.3 MHz with 2.9 kW @ 469’. It’s an AC station with a contour that is similar to WABY’s nighttime signal – in other words, it is not a full-market FM.
* WUAM-AM is the D, a 900 kHz facility with 400 W-D, 70 W-N, ND. It’s a newser, and although it doesn’t pack a lot of power, its signal is nicely centered in the market.
* WVKZ-AM is the C, on 1240 kHz with 1 kW-U, ND. It’s oldies format is Schenectady-oriented, in the northeastern quadrant of the market, with a primary signal that only hits portions of Albany.
