Radio and Television Transactions

A broadcasting veteran of more than 50 years is calling it quits, and heading into retirement. But, who in the midst of a pandemic would want to invest in an AM/FM combo serving a rural area of Virginia between Richmond and Lynchburg? Look no further than the No. 2 licensee by number of radio stations in the U.S.

On Dec. 21, a collection of full-power and FM translator stations serving communities in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont were designated for transfer into an irrevocable trust. The FCC has just given its blessings to the move.

The lone radio stations within a 30-mile radius of a small Mitchell County, Tex., town have just been sold. It's an "Extreme" transaction -- one that involves the owner of a Tejano station serving the Abilene market, and a husband-and-wife seller.

An AM/FM combo serving Minot, N.D., has been involuntary placed into an estate administered by Virginia-based attorney Todd Steiner, following the recent death of the stations' licensee. The estate is being led by the deceased owner's son, who continues to manage business affairs of the properties.

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.

Travel down U.S. 30 from the Cherry Hill, N.J., area just east of central Philadelphia, and you'll happen across some smaller Southern New Jersey communities as Clementon and Berlin. Here, an FM translator has been used to rebroadcast a religious noncommercial FM. Soon, that will change -- along with the language of what's heard on the air.

A collection of full-power and FM translator stations serving communities in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are being transferred into an irrevocable trust, according to a filing on the FCC's LMS made Friday. If approved, this will see a 2010 U.S. Senate candidate shift ownership of the properties to an irrevocable trust that he'll directly oversee.

It's not often that the FCC receives an "Acuerdo para venta y transferencia de licencia de un radioemisora." In such cases, Fletcher Heald & Hildreth attorney Frank Montero is likely involved. And, that's indeed the situation here, as a prolific Puerto Rico broadcaster has gained another AM on La Isla del Encanto.

City United Church in recent years has been using a Massachusetts AM to provide a "Power"-ful religious-themed message to local listeners. Then, the station fell silent. Now, this facility is being sold.

Tune to 107.9 MHz in Central New Jersey, and you may hear a wide variety of Classic Hits and an announcer using a bit of reverb on "WOLD." That's the call sign for a LPFM that happens to share a very tight short-spacing situation with an FM translator just down the road. Now, a plan to eliminate the interference has been submitted with the FCC.

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has officially been inked on the growing list of institutions of higher learning that no longer want to put its dollars toward the upkeep of a broadcast radio station run by its enrolled students.

If the Radio Zindagi brand sounds familiar to you, it should. On October 2, RBR+TVBR reported on the sale of an AM radio station in Nassau-Suffolk, N.Y., airing the South Asian-targeted regional network. A format change was anticipated. That happened. Now, Radio Zindagi is set to return, thanks to a fresh spin of the station by the entity that just bought it.

The founder and chief executive officer of America’s United Financial Partnerships and the Auto Masters Automobile Dealership Group, located in Middle Tennessee, considers himself to be an accomplished entrepreneur. His holdings include a Radio company. But, the industry hasn't been so kind to Mark Janbakhsh. He's just signed off on another asset sale.

Travel east of Atlanta, and you'll reach Morgan County, and the small town of Madison, its county seat. Here, a Class D AM offering religious programming is being spun.

It's presently airing an all-Christmas format, but with country music artists.  Soon, it will be devoting all of its musical choices to Jesus Christ and his teachings.  A Class B1 FM serving Canton, Illinois, with coverage of much of Peoria, has just become the latest acquisition for Educational Media Foundation.