Pamplin Ready To Part Ways With Portland, Ore. AMs
A local media company headed by "owner and neighbor" Dr. Robert B. Pamplin that includes the semi-weekly rack-distributed Portland Tribune, some 21 newspapers serving communities across the metro area, and two newspapers in Central Oregon will soon be a print-focused operation. That's because Pamplin Media Group is ready to file a Form 314 with the FCC indicating that it has sold its two AMs in the Rose City.
Merlin’s Final Magic Act: A Chicago Sale To Cumulus
Cumulus Media has acted on its Jan. 2014 "Put and Call Agreement" allowing it to convert its LMA of two big Chicago FMs to outright ownership. This results in the official end of Merlin Media's foray into radio broadcasting.
A Revised Price For High Plains Buy
In mid-May RBR+TVBR's TRANSACTIONS TODAY reported on the sale of a Class D AM, a dark FM, and two Class C3 FMs in the Lone Star State to Monte Spearman-led High Plains Radio Network. This deal is now closed, and Spearman is paying the seller a little more than he originally thought. That's because he's grabbing another AM from the seller.
KLOVE Wins In San Francisco … And It’s No CBS/Entercom Spin
Educational Media Foundation gained a significant presence in the Golden State in late September when it agreed to a deal valued at $57,750,000 that gave it entry into L.A. and North County San Diego. The City by the Bay was not noted, as EMF already owns a Class B covering the Bay Area that airs KLOVE. Yet, EMF just secured a translator covering San Francisco for KLOVE. Is another deal in play?
A Five-Dollar Deal In The Gorge
On Thursday, prosecutors announced that they have filed reckless burning charges in the Eagle Creek fire in Oregon's Columbia River Gorge. The accused: A 15-year-old boy. High burns in the gorge were seen just to the west of Hood River and Parkdale, where an FM translator rebroadcasting a Spanish-language LPFM has just been traded. The sale price is less than the cost of a flight of beer at Breakside Brewery.
Seaford Sells Another In Delmarva
On Oct. 11, RBR+TVBR's TRANSACTIONS TODAY told readers of a sale in the Delmarva Peninsula that "really 'SUX." That deal saw owner Seaford Media sell WSUX-AM 1280 in Seaford, Del., and its FM translator. Now, Seaford is a buyer — and it's gaining and FM.
A New Direction Promises Small-Market Stations A Big Future
A final agreement has been put into place that will convert a LMA to outright ownership for the entity that's now overseeing a three FM/two AM (plus translators) cluster in a big Ozark resort town that also includes a local online news hub and cable TV offering The Vacation Channel. The company buying the stations is led Paul Coates, and a former presidential candidate who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas.
A ‘Mega’ Deal For A Philly-area Translator
A 19-watt translator in the heart of Vineland, N.J. — the Latino hub of Southern New Jersey — has just been acquired by the owner of the leading Spanish-language radio station serving Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. The move will help bring some "AM revitalization" to Mega-Philadelphia in an area its Class B signal barely scrapes. But, this entire deal is contingent on a whole other agreement that has yet to be finalized.
Air1 Adds In California’s ‘I.E.’ Region
Educational Media Foundation is at it again: It's purchased yet another FM, and this time it is a silent facility serving a region of inland Southern California sandwiched between Riverside and San Diego. It's our top deal in RBR+TVBR's TRANSACTIONS TODAY for Oct. 17, 2017.
A Silent San Antonio Stick Set For Rebirth
A full-power VHF station licensed to Del Rio, Texas that fell silent in May 2016 will soon be resuscitated and brought back to life — under new ownership. The facility has just been sold to a pair of individuals very familiar with Spanish-language television, which is a big part of this station's most recent past. Kalil & Co. represented the buyers as the broker in this deal.
EMF’s Million-Dollar Entry Into A Carolina Market
Educational Media Foundation is at it again. The religious non-profit spreading the word through Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) networks KLOVE and Air1 has acquired a big Class C3 noncomm in market No. 129. It's paying more than $1 million to obtain the station, and it is our lead item of business in RBR+TVBR's TRANSACTIONS TODAY for Oct. 16, 2017.
3ABN Deals Away 14 LPTV Properties
The sell-off of low-power TV stations by a religious non-commercial broadcaster continued Friday, as a Form 314 filing with the FCC confirms it is shedding 14 more LPTVs in such big markets as St. Louis, Minneapolis, and San Antonio. The divestment follows a $3.2 million deal finalized in March.
A ‘Luckie’ Buyer For A Silent Class A
In the community of North English, Iowa, to the southwest of Iowa City, is a Class A that's recently fallen on hard times. The station, KMYQ-FM 97.1, went silent on Sept. 27, 2016, as a result of what owner Justin McLuckie perceived to be the "economic infeasibility" relating to the continued operation of KMYQ. Now, Mr. McLuckie is selling the station.
This Transaction Really ‘SUX
Sorry, we couldn't resist: WSUX is being sold, and so is its FM translator. It's the top deal in TRANSACTIONS TODAY, and we've got all of the details on this deal in the First State for you right here.
Translator Tune-Ups Requested From The FCC
Three separate groups have asked the FCC to tweak their respective FM translators, so as to diminish interference from fully licensed co-channel FM stations. One of these owners is The Walt Disney Co. The other is a company that was forced to shut down a controversial translator in the Raleigh-Durham area, which made Lakes Media Network owner Tom Birch very, very happy.