Radio and Television Transactions

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.

It's not often that RBR+TVBR's TRANSACTIONS TODAY can report on a "Hall of Fame" deal. However, that's exactly what we are able to share with readers. A Class A FM in a big Southern metropolis is literally heading to a hall of fame. The arrangement preserves a radio home for jazz music in this city, and it is all thanks to a local university.

Here's a deal that involves a Class C AM and an agreement that resolves some of the seller's financial woes. The AM station is seeing a transfer of control agreed to in October 2017, by way of a Form 314 filing made with the Commission on Feb. 26, 2018.  In exchange, forgiveness has been given.

An AM-FM combo, along with the AM's FM translator, in West Virginia are trading hands. In Colorado, the price on a deal brokered by Kalil & Co. has been revealed. These are the deals in focus in RBR+TVBR's TRANSACTIONS TODAY for Friday, Feb. 23.

For media brokers, there's been perhaps no more prolific buyer of radio stations in recent years than Educational Media Foundation, the operator of the Christian Contemporary Music KLOVE and Air1 noncommercial networks. In the TV world, one entity has emerged with a similarly voracious appetite for properties. It's the Philip Falcone-led HC2 Holdings, and the company that's buying Azteca América just landed another low-power TV station.

Where the St. Clair River and Lake Huron meet are the cities of Port Huron, Mich., and Sarnia, Ontario. Both cities, to the north of Detroit and Windsor, respectively, can tune to 91.3 MHz to hear a 120-watt radio station that until now has been owned by St. Clair County Community College. The facility is now being sold — and the incoming owner is another school.

An AM/FM combo in a town that's equidistant to Texarkana and Shreveport is trading hands. With the deal, the sounds of Reba and Dolly will soon be replaced with a variety of programming focused on religious teachings and daily bible study. It's the result of another expansion effort tied to a big Houston religious broadcaster. In other news, a Big Easy translator was just sold for a big sum.

In a Form 314 filing with the FCC that includes no written agreement, six FM translators, a silent AM, a silent FM, and an operational Class B noncomm just east of Indianapolis are heading to a new nonprofit group. This change involves an organization that has agreed to sell two other translators, with one of them going to Urban One.

The CEO of a radio broadcasting company based in the Houston-Galveston market has just been gifted a Class C3 FM facility that can be heard in three states. The value of this donation has been left up to a third-party appraiser.

Six months ago, a County District Court Judge in Montana approved a settlement agreement between a town and the Native American tribe to which it owes some $2.6 million. Part of that asset handover includes the town's low-power FM radio station, and a Form 314 confirming its transfer has now been filed with the Commission.

A Class D AM serving evangelical Latinos in one of South Carolina's biggest markets is trading hands. Up the road in North Carolina's Triad region, a major owner of broadcast TV stations closes on its purchase of a CSA agreement tied to the market's CW affiliate. And, in Austin, Univision has closed on its purchase of a LPTV station. We have the details in the Weekend Edition of RBR+TVBR's TRANSACTIONS TODAY.