In October 2020, RBR+TVBR reported on the sale of a booming 22kw Class B with a tower atop a peak in the Shenandoah Mountains to Educational Media Foundation.
It was a bargain for the facility, which reaches the western half of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and had been Hot Adult Contemporary WINC-FM, licensed to Winchester, Va.
While EMF bought the station, the intellectual property stayed with seller Centennial Broadcasting II. Now the company led by industry veteran Allen Shaw is selling the two stations “WINC” moved to last autumn.
WZFC-FM 104.9, a Class A in Strasburg, Va., and WINC-FM 105.5 (formerly WXBN, also a Class A), licensed to Berryville, Va., are being sold by Centennial to Metro Radio Inc.
With Scott Woodworth of Edinger Associates representing the buyer and Womble Bond Dickinson attorney Bob Silverman serving as Shaw’s legal counsel, Metro Radio is paying $225,000 for the simulcast partners.
WINC’s signal covers Winchester and Front Royal, to the south; on clear days it can reach as far east as Dulles International Airport. WZFC’s is a bit larger, and also reaches Woodstock and scenic Luray, Va.
Metro Radio is led by Bruce Houston, and is the licensee of WTNT-AM 730 in Alexandria, Va., and WKDV-AM 1460 in Manassas, Va. What Metro’s plans are for WINC-FM and WZFC are unknown; they are largely known for brokering, not operating, stations.
That said, combining the two AMs with the two FMs would present an intriguing opportunity for an operator. Simulcast partners of WTNT include W225CN, covering Fairfax, Chantilly and Centreville, Va.; and W248BN, at 97.5 MHz and featuring a signal from Northwest Washington, D.C., that reaches southern Montgomery County, Md., and both Arlington and Alexandria, Va.
WKDV is presently dark.
The sale of the two Class As includes the studio equipment and towers for each station, and two vehicles: a 2020 Subaru and a 1996 Ford van.
Excluded in the transaction is WINC-AM, which will continue to be held — until further notice — by Centennial.
A $50,000 escrow deposit has been made by Metro Radio. A $175,000 cash payment is due at closing.
An adjustment for trade and barter agreements will be applied at closing, per the contractual agreement.
Representing the seller as broker is BIA Capital Strategies LLC.
From 1993-1996, Allen Shaw was President/CEO of Crescent Communications, which sold its properties to Evergreen Media, American Radio Systems, Citadel, and Tichenor Media, respectively. From March 1985-October 1989, Shaw was EVP/COO of Beasley.
