A group of eight stations founded by Howard Anderson are being offered to bidders in a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Auction, RBR + TVBR has learned.
Also in TRANSACTIONS TODAY: An AM-FM combo in the Volunteer State changes hands, and one of the stations has some historic call letters. In Central Wisconsin, a deal involving an AM, an FM translator, and a trio of low-power TV stations has been finalized, with Bob Heymann of the Chicago office of Media Services Group assisting the sellers as the broker. Meanwhile, there’s a closing involving the sale of a Minnesota FM that saw Kalil & Co. serve as the exclusive broker in this transaction.
Bids are due April 3 for eight FM properties in California, strung together along I-15, collectively known as “The Highway Stations.”
This is tied to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy auction being managed by Scott Knoblauch of Spectrum Media LLC, and signals the unfortunate state of affairs for the following stations:
- Class B KHYZ-FM 99.7 in Mountain Pass, Calif., which uses booster KHYZ-FM2 to reach Las Vegas with a Hot AC format known as “The Highway Vibe.” Class B KRXV-FM 98.1 in Yermo, Calif., serving Barstow; and Class B KHWY-FM 98.9 in Essex, Calif., simulcast KHYZ. KHWY reaches the cities of Laughlin, Nev., Bullhead City, Ariz., and Needles, Calif.
- Class A KIXW-FM 107.3 in Lenwood, Calif., and Class B KIXF-FM 101.5 in Baker, Calif., which air a Country format as “Highway Country”
- Rock partners Class A KHDR-FM 96.9 in Lenwood and Class B1 KHRQ-FM 94.9 in Baker
Also listed for sale is KHWZ-FM in Ludlow, Calif.
At its peak, the “Highway Radio” capitalized on its reach of 3 million people and its ability to provide advertisers “an opportunity to have an intimate conversation with 14 million tourists over a 4 to 6 hour period; 35% of those tourists are undecided on accommodations.”
They were started by Anderson in 1980, after efforts to convince none other than Howard Hughes that he could lure hotel guests to Hughes’ casino resorts in Las Vegas ended with the eccentric millionaire’s death in 1975.
As the 1990s transitioned to a new century, the rise of satellite radio and other in-car media options diminished the potency of advertising targeting Las Vegas vacationers from Southern California.
In other TRANSACTIONS TODAY:
- Jeffrey A. Smith, Gregory J. Buchwald and Anne M. Smith have agreed to sell all of their ownership interest in Baraboo Broadcasting Corp. to Kelly Martinson. The corporation is the licensee of and owns and operates Class D WRPQ-AM 740 in Baraboo, Wisc., and FM translator station W259BC at 99.7 MHz in Baraboo. The corporation is also the permittee of unbuilt LPTV stations W43DD-D, W45DR-D and W47EA-D, each Baraboo. The purchase price is $375,000. Bob Heymann of the Chicago office of Media Services Group assisted the sellers in this transaction.
- Grace Broadcasting Co. is selling an AM-FM combo in the Volunteer State. The AM bears famous call letters: WMAK, which was a major Top 40 force in Nashville during the 1960s and early 1970s and was an early home of legendary air personality Scott Shannon. This WMAK is at 1570 kHz in Lobelville, Tenn., and is a Class D facility with 1 tower and output of 1kw by day and 66 watts by night. WMAK serves a small town halfway between Nashville and Jackson, Miss., and it is being dealt along with Class A WOPC-FM 101.3 in Linden, Tenn., to Nunley Media Group for $100,000. There was no broker associated with this transaction.
- Lamke Broadcasting has closed on its $200,000 purchase of KBAJ-FM 105.5 in Deer River, Minn., from Red Rock Radio Corp. The Seller is a Minnesota-based company headed by Kathy Lau and Shawn Skramstad that has been divesting most of its stations over the last several months. The Buyer is headed by Jim Lamke and owns two other stations, both in Grand Rapids, Minn. Kalil & Co. served as the exclusive broker in this transaction.
