Crawford Captures Detroit AM From Radio One

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In an announcement made Wednesday (4/12) by its Motor City station group, Radio One has confirmed that it is selling WCHB-AM 1200, a Class B Urban Talk station with a highly complex two-pattern signal, to Crawford Broadcasting for $2 million.


The deal is expected to close within the next 90 days, and a Form 314 will most likely appear in the FCC database on April 13.

Michael J. Bergner of Bergner & Co. was the exclusive broker in this transaction.

WCHB serves the Detroit market with a directional signal emitting 50kw during daylight hours from four towers, and 15kw at night from no less than 10 towers.

Programming has been simulcast on WDMK-FM 105.9’s HD2 signal and on FM translator W260CB, at 99.9 MHz; Crawford is not acquiring the translator, information provided by Bergner notes.

When the deal closes, some of WCHB’s most popular programming will shift to another Radio One/Detroit station — Gospel WPZR-FM 102.7. This includes The Mildred Gaddis Show, which will take the 10am-noon slot on WPZR.

Gaddis will also offer “personality news cut-ins” on WDMK’s morning show, reprising a role that she once had as a newscaster at WJLB-FM 97.9 in Detroit.

wchbMeanwhile, the syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show will continue to air in morning drive on W260CB.

In a prepared statement, Radio One/Detroit VP/GM Kathy Stinehour said,  “To get what you’ve never had, you have to do what you’ve never done. We have sold our AM talk radio facility and are proud of the heritage role the station has held in Detroit. We view this as an opportunity to move the WCHB voice to a larger FM platform and intend to super-serve our listeners with urban music, community engagement and inspiration – what we do best!”

WCHB was founded by Bell Broadcasting in 1956, and is one of the nation’s first stations to be owned-and-operated by African Americans. Radio One acquired WCHB, along with what is now WDMK, from Bell in 1998.