University of Alabama radio expanding into Mobile

0

The Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama has filed paperwork with the FCC toward the acquisition of WHIL-FM in Mobile AL. The seller is Spring Hill College. UA is looking to expand its listening and donating base.


The price for the station will be $1.1M cash. $55K was put into escrow. Noncom brokerage specialist Public Radio Capital worked on behalf of the buyer.

According to the Mobile Press-Register, UA is making the move to gain access to the 800K potential listeners available in the Mobile radio market. The additional circulation for its programming and the donations that may come with it are seen as a hedge against possible cuts in government public broadcast funding.

The FCC application included a request for a main studio waiver which would allow WHIL to become a satellite of UA’s WTUA Tuscaloosa AL.

WHIL is a full Class C facility, with 100 kW @ 1,066’ on 91.3 MHz.