Exactly two months ago, iHeartMedia responded to the call for greater social justice in the aftermath of the murder of African American George Floyd by launching the first “comprehensive national audio news service dedicated to providing an objective, accurate and trusted source of continual news coverage with a Black voice and perspective.”
With the launch of BIN: Black Information Network under the leadership of veteran programmer Tony Coles, largely underperforming AM radio stations in a host of markets became the nucleus of the Black News/Talk network’s group of broadcast facilities. Only, four key African American markets were absent from the roster.
That’s just been resolved, thanks to Beasley Media Group and a station acquisition iHeart is about to file with the FCC, with Kalil & Co. as the broker.
An asset purchase agreement has been signed that will add WUST-AM 1120 in Washington, D.C. — a Class D daytimer that must sign off at sunset in order to protect KMOX-AM in St. Louis — to the iHeart/Washington family. WUST is already being branded as “DMV BIN 1120,” thanks to an immediate LMA, and will be the lone AM in a station group comprised of WASH-FM, WBIG-FM, WIHT-FM, WMZQ-FM, WWDC-FM and WWDC-HD2 “104.7 WONK FM,” a Federal government-focused talk station designed to compete against Hubbard Broadcasting’s Federal News Network.
Details regarding the purchase of WUST are expected to be posted on the FCC’s CDBS later this week. It is being sold to iHeart by Potomac Radio Group, which in September 2018 agreed to acquire WUST from New World Radio for $750,000 in a transaction brokered by Kalil & Co.
While iHeart is acquiring WUST, it is bringing BIN to Beasley-owned WTEL-AM 610 in Philadelphia via an LMA. With the move, several brokered talk programs that aired on WTEL are now on Beasley’s WWDB-AM 860 in Philadelphia.
Additionally, LMAs have been established that see M-10 Broadcasting’s WQLL-AM 1370 in the Baltimore market switch from Classic Hits; and FM translator W257DS at 99.3 MHz in Montgomery, Ala., take on BIN via a LMA with owner Alexander Broadcasting.
“BIN’s goal has always been to be the most trusted source for news in the Black community, and part of that strategy is of course to be available on both broadcast and digital stations across America,” said Coles, who serves as President of BIN: Black Information Network.
Montgomery will see BIN arrive on Wednesday (9/2).
