DAYTON, OHIO — In February 2017, a noncommercial Adult Alternative brand serving Cincinnati and Dayton from Northern Kentucky University began its wind-down process, making good on a May 2016 decision to hire a broker to shop the three FMs that comprised what was WNKU.
With Bible Broadcasting Corp. buying a Highland Heights, Ky., signal covering Covington and Cincinnati for $1.9 million and Educational Media Foundation grabbing a Huntington, W. Va.-Ashland, Ohio signal for $700,000, that left WNKN-FM 105.9 in Middletown, Ohio, in need of a buyer.
On July 19, 2017, Jeff Ziesmann stepped up and struck a $4 million deal brokered by Kalil & Co. This led to the creation of a unique Oldies station that has enjoyed remarkable cume growth in Cincinnati while becoming a favorite in Dayton, too.
Alas, “The Oasis” will be disappearing soon, as Ziesmann has signed off on WNKN’s sale.
Under Ziesmann-led Grant County Broadcasters, WNKN has been a Soft Adult Contemporary-influenced Oldies station branded as “The Oasis.” The presentation debuted in July 2022, as the station ended some 4 1/2 years of simulcasting Class A Country Gold WNKR-FM in Williamstown, Ky., due south of Cincinnati.
WNKN boasts a Class B signal, with its 34kw signal providing city-grade coverage of Cincinnati, Hamilton, Mason, Xenia, Eaton and all of metropolitan Dayton; it has distant signal coverage of Springfield, Ohio.
Across Spring 2023, The Oasis was gaining audience in Cincinnati. Its overall rating in the Nielsen PPM-based survey for the market, ranked No. 33, put WNKN at a 2.1 share. By comparison, WNKR had a 1.0 share. But, fueling WNKN’s growth was a massive surge in cume to 115,600 in July 2023, from 59,900 in February 2023.
In Dayton, the July 2023 Nielsen PPM results put WNKN-FM at No. 9 overall, with a 3.2 share — higher than Alpha Media and Cox Media Group brands in Dayton that are more Adult Hits and ’80s-focused than “The Oasis.”
Alas, that growth won’t save a station that prides itself as a home for “Where the Music Went” and could be heard playing The Turtles’ “You Baby” at 3:18pm on Monday. It is a Top 20 record from Spring 1966.
With Mark Denbo from Smithwick & Belendiuk serving as legal counsel to Grant County Broadcasters, WNKN is being sold to Relevant Radio, the non-for-profit religious broadcaster based in Wisconsin.
A $4.5 million purchase price was agreed to. Exclusions include all accounts receivable.
A 10% deposit has been made by the buyer and is being held by Nicolet Bank.
There is no broker or finder associated with this transaction.
Tangible property included in the transaction includes a Nautel GV-15 FM Broadcast Transmitter and an Inovonics 531N FM Modulation Monitor.
For Relevant Radio, the purchase of WNKN brings a dual-market entry for the religious broadcaster.
For Grant County Broadcasters, the focus will likely now be on WNKR, with perhaps tunes such as the Walker Brothers’ “The Sun Ain’t Gonna’ Shine Anymore” ready for a last-chance spin on WNKN.
With the demise of WNKU, NPR Member station WYSO-FM 91.3 in Yellow Springs, Ohio, serving Dayton, offers eclectic Adult Alternative music in weekday midday hours. For Oldies fans, 100-watt WSWO-LPFM at 98.3 MHz will now be the lone broadcast home in Dayton for this era of Top 40 music. In Cincinnati, WDJO airs an Oldies format at 1480 kHz with FM translators at 99.5 MHz and 107.9 MHz. Jim LaBarbara and Marty Thompson, well-known radio personalities in the market, can be found today on WDJO.
