Radio and Television Transactions

Since summer 2017, WLPW-FM 105.5 — the Lake Placid, N.Y. Class A that had been “Rock 105” — has been silent. WLPW is one of the stations crippled by financial difficulties associated with Ted Morgan, and his now-defunct Radio Lake Placid.  As part of Morgan's asset liquidation plan, seen in November 2017, he gave another local entity the right of first refusal to acquire WLPW. That happened, and now this company has closed on its acquisition of the station it eagerly seeks to breathe new life into.

Nearly one year ago, an asset exchange between Educational Media Foundation and radio station owners Adam and Victor Michael saw the shift of a Hot AC serving the Valley Isle of Maui to a facility previously home to the KLOVE Christian AC noncomm network and KMKV-FM. Now, the Hawaiian broadcast company that's been operating this AC for the Michael family is outright acquiring the property, fully welcoming it into its island ohana. Also in TRANSACTIONS TODAY: a communications tower deal brokered by Media Services Group has closed.

It may not be the "legend of Sleepy Hollow," but there's a Class A noncommercial FM radio station serving the town of Sleepy Hollow, Wyo., that has served as a member of the American Family Radio Christian Talk and Teaching network. Now, American Family Association is selling the station to a North Dakota non-profit that will likely maintain religious programming at the facility. Also in TRANSACTIONS TODAY: How much did Neal Ardman pay for an AM in Tampa Bay?

A mighty Class B facility with a strong signal covering the Inland Empire of Southern California and much of inland Orange County with Vietnamese-language programming is trading hands. The buyer is an entity known for its radio stations targeting Asian American audiences.

The Rev. Jimmy Swaggart and three of his family members, also members of the clergy, are the principals of Family Worship Center Church. That's the entity that is adding a noncommercial FM station in Florida to its holdings, according to a Form 314 filing with the FCC made on Tuesday.

Among the big tower owners based in Boca Raton, Fla., is SBA Communications, the firm that in the third quarter of 2016 acquired a tower from Saga Communications in Norfolk for $1.35 million. Now, Saga and SBA have conducted business again — this time in New England, in a deal brokered by Boca Raton-based Michael J. Bergner of Bergner & Co.

Since 1974, a Class D AM with 5kw during the day and 152 watts at night has used a single tower to reach a large swath of the coastal Carolinas. Now, the owners of this station have decided to sell. The buyer is a local entity that has effectively operated the station for more than 20 years, and it is our top deal in RBR+TVBR's TRANSACTIONS TODAY for the weekend of March 9-11.

Two deals are featured in RBR+TVBR's TRANSACTIONS TODAY for Thursday, March 8. In the first transaction, a swap of two FMs brings a piece of Michigan a fiercer Bear. The second deal sees a pair of "artistic" stations being merged with a very "sound" player.

In the world famous ski town of Snowmass Village, Colo., is a 23-watt FM translator that until recently has served as a rebroadcast partner of "The Range," a Classic Country station. Programming has shifted to another translator, with a slightly bigger coverage area, from nearby Aspen. As a result, the owner of the 23-watter is giving the facility away.

In years past, RBR+TVBR's TRANSACTIONS TODAY would have gotten a lot of attention from that headline, which many could have interpreted as the former Lincoln Financial Media entering Western New York's biggest market. Today, it refers to the transfer of control of an ESPN Radio affiliate in a different Buffalo than the one known for Elmwood Village, the Sabres, and a certain poultry snack few locals eat. The seller is a big regional player — based near Buffalo, Ky.

It was the intention of Cumulus Media to acquire two radio stations in the Windy City from Merlin Media. However, Cumulus' financial difficulties led to the eventual dismantling of a deal that would have seen it obtain WKQX-FM "Q101" and WLUP-FM 97.9. Now, Merlin Media — the company led by noted radio industry veteran Randy Michaels — is selling WLUP. Cue up "Jesus Is Just Alright" — a switch to a noncommercial Christian Contemporary music format is coming for the storied Rocker. ​​​​

Here's a transaction that involves an otter. That's the tongue-in-cheek branding for a low-power television station serving the Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz market, which has just been sold in a deal to an entity named Diya TV. It's the top deal in detail featured in RBR+TVBR's TRANSACTIONS TODAY for March 5, 2018.

The Delmarva Peninsula media company led by Craig Jahelka has just completed its acquisition of a four-station cluster of radio stations in the Salisbury-Ocean City, Md., DMA. It's the lone item for business in the Weekend Edition of RBR+TVBR's TRANSACTIONS TODAY for March 2-4.

Everybody knows Ernie Anderson's voice from those old 1970s promos for The Love Boat.  Ya' think The Love Station has something similar to offer? That's the name of a Ponca City, Okla., company that is purchasing a Class A FM between Ardmore and Oklahoma City. And, it's the subject of RBR+TVBR's TRANSACTIONS TODAY that's bound to be full of Praise.

George S. Flinn Jr. is widely known across the media broadcasting industry for his ownership of radio and TV stations in Mississippi, the Memphis market, and in Arkansas. But, he's also had a presence in the Silver State, where he owns an AM and an FM. The AM, which serves the "biggest little city in the world" and the state capital, is now being sold.