In a deal consummated July 24 but not filed with the FCC until Sept. 10, The Erie Radio Company agreed to sell a Class A CHR/Pop station serving the Erie market to SJL of Pennsylvania.
“SJL” is a licensee tied to the owner of TV stations serving Hawaii, the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York, and the U.S. territories of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
It’s just closed on the Erie radio station, and boy is it “Happi.”
Now officially a Lilly Broadcasting property is WEHP-FM 92.7 in Lawrence Park, Pa., branded as “Happi 92.7.”
With WEHP-FM, Lilly’s Erie holdings gain an FM to go alongside WICU-12, home to the market’s NBC affiliate and MeTV, Start TV and ION programming on digital multicast channels; and SJL Broadcasting-licensed CBS affiliate WSEE-35, which has The CW Network and Heroes & Icons on WSEE’s digital multicast channels. WSEE was acquired in 2002 by SJL.
The purchase price for WEHP is $1.33 million, with a $240,000 downpayment made to the seller by Lilly; a Form 314 filing was made with the Commission in mid-September 2019.
The acquisition pairs Happi 92.7 with Erie television stations WICU-12, the NBC affiliate, and WSEE-TV, the CBS affiliate.
“We take pride in being family owned and invested in the region that we live, play, shop, and send our children to school,” said SJL Broadcasting president Brian Lilly. “It shows our commitment to the local communities that we serve.”
The WEHP transaction includes the station’s tower, a lakefront facility atop South Shore Place, an apartment tower. It also comes with a 2013 Chevy Cargo Box Truck.
Not included in the deal are personal furniture and furnishings, art, mementos, awards, photographs, and any assets held by R Brilliant Media LLC. That includes the intellectual property of WEHP, known as “Happi 92.7.”
However, Lilly will have a royalty-free perpetual right to use the “Happi” brand at any of its broadcast properties with this deal.
Other terms call for the construction before closing of a door that will separate the radio station from R Brilliant Media, which will continue to operate as an advertising agency.
The Erie Radio Company is led by Richard Rambaldo.
The WEHP purchase follows the purchase of three radio stations and an FM translator from the Frank Iorio-led Radio Partners, LLC. FCC documentation filed in June put the purchase price of the Warren, Pa., properties — Class D News/Talk WNAE-AM 1310 and FM translator W244DY at 96.7 MHz; Class B Classic Hits WRRN-FM 92.3; and Class A “Kinzua Country” WKNB-FM 104.3 — at $900,000.
Lilly’s original radio properties, WENY-AM & FM in Elmira, N.Y., were sold to White Broadcasting in 2000. The stations are presently owned and operated by Sound Communications.
Since then, it has developed unique ABC and The CW Network feeds to the U.S. Virgin Islands, and a unique WSEE feed to Puerto Rico. Also in the mix is WZMQ-19 in
Marquette, Mich., and ABC affiliate KITV-4 in Honolulu, serving all of Hawaii. Kevin and his brother, Brian Lilly, manage KITV for their father’s SJL Broadcast Management.
Brian and Kevin Lilly were honored by the readers of RBR+TVBR. For more details, read the Spring 2019 NAB Show Edition of the Radio + Television Business Report.
Click here to download: RBR+TVBR SPRING 2019 MAGAZINE
