It has served the African American community in Wisconsin’s largest market since 1967. Pending FCC approval, it will become the latest property in the Civic Media stable — along with a 61-year-old newspaper serving the Black community of Milwaukee.
In a press release posted to UrbanMilwaukee.com on Wednesday, the company led by COO Kory Hartman shared that it is purchasing the Milwaukee Courier and WNOV-AM 860, along with its FM translator at 106.5 MHz.
As part of the transition, WNOV owner Mary Ellen Jones will serve as a consultant, following the station’s sale to Civic Media, known for progressive talk radio stations across Wisconsin.
With the transaction, Civic Media is hiring Dr. Robert “Biko” Baker for the role of Operations Manager for both WNOV and the newspaper.
He’ll be charged with leading efforts to invest in journalism and programming that has long served Milwaukee’s Black community. Baker has deep roots in Milwaukee’s media and public life, and Civic Media says he brings “significant experience managing large-scale digital and social impact campaigns that advance public understanding and community engagement.”
Jones is the daughter of Dr. Jerrel Jones, one of the original investors in the station when it was purchased by the Courier in 1972. She said, “My parents built The Milwaukee Courier and WNOV to give Milwaukee’s Black community a voice when few existed. Passing that responsibility forward was not taken lightly. Civic Media is committed to honoring that legacy while investing in the future of trusted media.”
Civic Media CEO Sage Weil said, “Acquiring The Milwaukee Courier and WNOV is both an opportunity and a responsibility. These are trusted institutions with deep roots in Milwaukee, and our role is to steward that legacy while investing in their future—modernizing operations, expanding digital reach, and ensuring they continue to serve the community with integrity.”
A Form 314 filing in the FCC’s LMS is forthcoming.
The purchase of WNOV and the Courier comes days after Civic Media changed the format of WFHR-AM 1320 in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisc., which reaches listeners on the FM dial via a translator at 97.5 MHz. Now, Classic Hits is in the mix, with local news and CBS News Radio top-of-the-hour updates.
WFHR continues Nite Lite with Pete Schwaba, which airs weeknights.
— Additional reporting by Dana Schaeffer
