In one of the biggest radio station sales to surface this year, Local Media San Diego has decided to part ways with its Adult Hits-focused FM that was once “B100” and, later, “Star 100.7,” in America’s Finest City.
The buyer is the privately held broadcasting company with stations across the West Coast led by Jim Kalmenson and founded by his father, President/CEO Howard Kalmenson.
In a deal that sees Kalil & Co. serve as the exclusive broker for the seller, KFBG-FM “Big 100.7” in San Diego is being sold to Lotus Communications Corp. for an undisclosed price.
Local Media San Diego agreed to acquire KFBG, formerly KFMB-FM, exactly five years ago in a transaction that included KFMB-AM 760, a station immediately resold to iHeartMedia and is today Sports Talk KGB-AM.
LMSD, headed by Gregg Wolfson and Norm McKee, paid $5 million for the AM/FM combo from TEGNA. It gave LMSD a fourth station within the San Diego market, as it enjoys marketing and content licensing agreements with three stations licensed to Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico: XHITZ “Z90”, XETRA “91X” and XHRM “Magic 92.5.”
For Lotus, it is returning to a market that it has not been in since 1996. That’s when it sold what was once Classical KFSD-FM 94.1 to Nationwide Communications. Today, that station is KMYI “Star 94.1.” Interestingly, KMYI and KFBG each share a communal tower site on Mt. Soledad.
What’s to come for KFBG under Lotus? There’s already market speculation that Lotus will not retain the “Big 100.7” Classic-focused Adult Hits format. Asked why Lotus purchased KFBG, Lotus’ First Sr. VP, Jim Kalmenson, told RBR+TVBR, “We just want to strengthen our position in California.” He declined to comment on any format changes that could be in the works.
Lotus Communications’ holdings include both Spanish-language and English-language properties, the latter notably in Seattle, Las Vegas, Boise and Reno, Nev. And, KFBG was ranked No. 3 in the Nielsen Audio ratings for San Diego in November 2024. Kalmenson would not comment on KFBG’s billing totals for 2024, or other reasons why Wolfson and McKee decided to sell the station.
With KFBG, Lotus is adding to a collection of 46 radio stations across Arizona, California,
Idaho, Nevada, and Washington. Its primary competitor is KXSN “Sunny 98.1,” a Classic Hits format with an ’80s Top 40 focus and more upbeat presentation than KFBG. KXSN is the top-ranked station in San Diego with a lineup largely mirroring that of Audacy Inc. sibling KRTH “K-Earth 101” in Los Angeles.
How did TEGNA end up with the former KFMB-FM prior to selling it to Local Media San Diego? It was included along with not only KFMB-AM but, more importantly, CBS affiliate KFMB-8 in a December 2017 transaction valued at $325 million — largely because of the TV station. TEGNA made the deal with Midwest Television, which had owned the properties since 1964.
