Surf’s Up! Vic Canales Spins AM, Translator In Palm Beaches

BOCA RATON, FLA. — In November 2017, he ended his business partnership with John Caracciolo. This led Vic Latino — legally known as Victor Canales — to create his own media company with a Palm Beach County-based AM as its foundation.

Now, Canales is selling that AM, along with one of the two FM translators his company uses to serve the market with a unique “Quality Rock” format that’s failed to attract audiences since its debut.

WSVU-FM 960, licensed to North Palm Beach, Fla., is being sold by Vic Canales Media Group LLC, along with W269DS at 101.7 MHz — an FM translator that serves Hobe Sound, Jupiter and Tequesta.

These facilities comprise two-thirds of “The Surf,” which offers a wide-ranging Rock format.

WSVU and W269DS are set to become the property of United Group Elite Agency Investments Inc., and it is paying $1.1 million for the AM and FM translator.

Class B WSVU operates with 2.4kw during daylight hours and 1.4kw at night, from two towers. With the possibility of HD Radio now available, this presents an opportunity for the right operator, as WSVU’s daytime signal reaches northern Palm Beach County, Martin and St. Lucie Counties, and parts of Indian River County.

A 10% downpayment is being held in escrow by Doyle Hadden, President of Hadden & Associates. Hadden is Canales’ broker of record in this transaction.

At closing, a $290,000 payment will be made to Canales. The remaining $700,000 will be represented via a Promissory Note, which sees equal monthly payments of $11,893.10 for a period of 62 months.

Canales is retaining ownership of the studios and transmitter, and a sublease agreement is in place that will see him earn $2,263.33 for studios (subject to a 5% increase per year) and $1,156.61 for tower space.

United Group is led by Jean Altidor (pictured, at right), who is known in the Haitian-American community across South Florida.

This suggests that WSVU and the 101.7 MHz FM translator will be used for Haitian Creole programming.

What will come to W223CJ at 92.5 MHz, which also airs “The Surf”? That answer could be coming soon from Canales, which also airs “The True Oldies Channel” on WIRK-FM HD3 and on two other translators, W240CI and W295BJ.