Educational Media Foundation, the parent of the two biggest noncommercial Christian music networks in the U.S., is growing again with the proposed acquisition of a Class B facility offering coverage of populous northern San Diego County and the neighboring Temecula Valley.
EMF is agreeing to purchase KSDW-FM 88.9 in Temecula, Calif., which can be heard in Hemet, Lake Elsinore, Fallbrook, Oceanside and Escondido and is an extension of the San Diego radio market, given terrain.
KSDW’s programming is relayed on K245AI at 96.9 MHz in San Pasqual, Calif., and this ensures a strong signal in hilly Escondido.
Both K245AI and KSDW are being acquired from Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, in a transaction that sees David Oxenford of Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP again serve as EMF’s legal counsel. Mark Balkin of Hardy, Carey, Chautin & Balkin represented the seller.
A $200,000 purchase price has been agreed to; terms call for the parties to work together on moving KSDW’s transmitter from a temporary site.
KSDW presently offers programming under the “Worship and the Word” banner.
What’s ahead, after the transaction closes? A network affiliation agreement dated October 14 indicates that the Air1 Worship Music network will be placed on both KSDW and its FM translator.
This presents the question of what EMF intends to do with KARJ-FM 92.1 in Escondido, presently an Air1 Member station. KLOVE can be heard on KLVJ-FM 102.1, the former “Sets 102” and original home of KIOZ.
The southern portion of the San Diego area can hear Air1 via KYDO-FM 96.1 in Campo, Calif., an eastern San Diego County facility with a signal over Chula Vista, San Ysidro and rural Northern Baja California, Mexico.
