Radio and Television Transactions

In May, RBR+TVBR first reported on the acquisition in a court-sanctioned auction of an FM in the "Conch Republic" by Michael Stapleford and his Magnum Broadcasting. Now, another FM once part of the Choice Radio Keys stable is being sold by the creditor representative appointed by a Monroe County, Fla., judge to execute the sell-off of its assets.

In May 2017, a FCC filing indicated that a noncommercial Class C3 in Portales, N. Mex., was being donated to Oasis of Faith. That never happened. Now, the station is heading to a different licensee, and it is one known for its Kingdom Keys.

Travel between Elmira and Binghamton, N.Y., and you'll actually slip into a small slice of Pennsylvania for a mile or two. This is where Sayre, Pa., is located, and it's the home of an AM/FM combo simulcasting as "The Choice." It's now the election of the stations' licensee to sell the stations, leaving it up to the incoming owner to decide whether or not he'll make a change.

RBR+TVBR on Tuesday reported on a transaction that will see a reborn "Ritmo" serve the Delaware Valley, thanks to Miguel Amador's Ritmo Broadcasting. Ritmo also operates a Top 40 operation with call letters that pay homage to a hit music FM that once served Philadelphia, and a FCC filing now shows he's buying the AM and FM translator used to power it.

One of the stations is a Class B AM with an FM translator. The other is a Class D AM, also with an FM translator. They serve an area to the west of metropolitan Cleveland, and for fifty years had been associated with the Wilber family. That's no longer the case.

Nearly six months ago, local media reported that a 25kw Class C3 FM serving a rural area to the north of the Twin Cities was being transferred to a new owner. Now, paperwork at the FCC has finally been filed that confirms the plan. Who's the buyer? A longtime Minnesota radio station owner.

In Grand Junction, Colo., Gray Television enjoys a formidable presence, with ownership of NBC/Telemundo/MeTV affiliate KKCO-11 and a low-power TV station that serves as the western Colorado market's home for ABC, Ion Network and The CW Network. Gray is adding another LPTV property to the mix.

It owns and operates the "River Radio Network," comprised of a Weirton, W. Va.-based AM/FM combo and an FM translator. Now, its owner has signed off on an asset purchase agreement giving it three FMs, and an AM with an FM translator, in the nearby Wheeling market.

On July 30, RBR+TVBR first reported on agreement signed by the children of the late Ray Moran that involves the sale of a full-power TV station in Albuquerque and its associated full-power and low-power repeater stations in a transaction brokered by Kalil & Co. The buyer has now closed on the transaction.

In a deal that's just been consummated and filed for approval with the Commission, Salem Media Group is adding to its properties in Tampa-St. Petersburg by reacquiring a Class B AM radio station in the market. The facility, licensed to Brandon, Fla., will help Salem bring a third radio brand just two years after spinning the stations.

A small broadcaster with TV stations in its home market of Salisbury-Ocean City, Md.; and four other markets has just agreed to acquire a CP for a low-power television station in one of those markets — a move that bolsters its presence there. It's a deal brokered by Bob Heymann of Media Services Group.

As first reported in Streamline Publishing's Radio Ink, a Class C3 FM serving Tucson from the northwest that was once owned by Entravision Communications is being sold. It gives more revenue-generation options in the market for a Hispanic media pioneer that grew its presence in Southern Arizona by acquiring a FM station formerly owned by Scripps — and Bustos.

The deal was struck in late April, and it's just been filed with the FCC for its blessing. If regulatory approval is given, and that's expected, two Oklahoma FM radio stations will be licensed to JL Radio LLC.

The licensee led by Jeff Winemiller has moved forward with the sale of a low-powered television station serving the one-time Spring Break capital of Panama City Beach, Fla. The buyer? It's a Georgia-based entity also hip to LPTV ownership.

A Class C1 100kw FM radio station offering a mix of Christian Talk and Teaching and "the best music this side of heaven" will soon be making a bit of a programming change. Instead of offering "Life"-affirming offerings in English, it will provide listeners in Miami-Dade and northern Monroe Counties "estudias de la Vida."