In late March, a Knoxville radio veteran who acquired WNFZ in 1974 and enjoyed successful on-air stints at then-Top 40 WNOX-AM 990 and WOKI-FM “I-100” acquired an AM in what’s colloquially known to some as “Scruffy City” from Kirkland Wireless Broadcasters.
Now, the spin cycle is on for this market doyen: His company is selling it for the exact amount it acquired it for.
For $30,000, Oak Ridge FM Inc. is selling WVLZ-AM 1180 in Knoxville to Mid-Century Radio Inc.
Included in the deal is FM translator W268BP at 101.5 MHz in Knoxville.
The buyer is an 80-20 partnership led by Aaron Ishmael, based in Plattsburgh, N.Y. And, it is a slightly different entity than Mid-Century Radio LLC, which sees Ishmael as a 20% interest holder; this licensee owns WKCE-AM in Maryville, Tenn.—a 1kw daytimer serving the town of Seymour, Tenn.
Now, Mid-Century gets a Class D facility that had been dormant and is licensed for daytime-only broadcasts with 10kw; WVLZ must protect WHAM-AM 1180 in Rochester, N.Y., and, to some extent, Radio Marti broadcasts from Marathon, Fla., to Cuba.
There is no broker or finder associated with this transaction.
