Radio News

At 94.1 MHz in the North Carolina city of Lumberton is an FM translator that has been relaying the programming of WHQR Public Media to this small community along I-95, to the south of Fayetteville. That’s about to change. A sale of the translator to a different NPR Member has been consummated.

Expect a potentially cantankerous Congressional hearing come December 5. That's when the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will conduct an FCC oversight hearing. The session could feature much finger-pointing from subcommittee chairman Mike Doyle (pictured).

It's just what the doctor ordered for Cumulus Media: Respected financial analysis house Zacks on Thursday added five stocks to its "Strong Buy" list. Yes, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is on the list. But, so is the owner of such stations as "powerhouse" Talker KMJ-AM in Fresno and Classic Hits stalwart WGRR-FM in Cincinnati.

Roughly four years ago, Mt. Wilson FM Broadcasters began simulcasting the L.A.-based "K-Mozart" on a heritage AM serving the Monterey Bay area of California. The move came a few months after an AM sibling in the market began simulcasting another L.A. station, one focused on Oldies. These AMs and their FM translators have just been handed to a new licensee.

In the far northeastern portion of the state, one can listen to a Class B1 FM offering Classic Country music, or its AM sister, which has a license for an unbuilt FM translator. Until now, these stations have been owned and operated by Earl Judy Jr. and his Tschudy Broadcasting Corp. Now, Judy is selling the properties.

In a move that further cements the media company's love for eSports, and the dollars it now attracts from advertisers, Beasley Media Group has acquired an eSports team that competes in the Overwatch League.

Want to operate a pair of noncommercial radio stations, which are simulcast partners, in one of the biggest markets in the world? Cal State University Northridge no longer wants to operate its Adult Alternative KCSN-FM and the station in south Orange County it manages for Saddleback College, KSBR-FM. A "Request for Qualification" has reportedly been issued by the public institution of higher learning.

As part of a plan to gain cash from the sale of underperforming assets, Salem Media Group agreed to sell a selection of its radio stations to Relevant Radio. Three separate deals were consummated in 2019, and two of these transactions have just formally closed. The news comes straight from the broker of record involved in this deal.

In April 2017, "Northern Michigan's Preferred Classic Rock" station returned. The move brought a "Bear" back to one of the more picturesque places in the state, including city of license Cheboygan. Now, the FM station bearing the "Bear" brand is being sold.

A boo-boo made in Urban One's first quarter results, which also impacted its Q2 financial report card, has led the Washington, D.C.-based media company superserving African American consumers to restate its earnings for the first half of 2019. The error is the result of an "out-of-period tax provision adjustment" of approximately $3.4 million in Q1, an SEC filing notes.

In May 2013, Bruce Mittman and Jim Leven (pictured) agreed to acquire a group of radio stations in the Twin Tiers region of Western New York and extreme North-Central Pennsylvania. Just shy of six years later, their company, Community Broadcasters, left the region. Now, the company is exiting a region of Upstate New York roughly an hour to the south of Canada's national capital.

At 3pm Eastern on Tuesday, Salem Media Group's third quarter fiscal report card arrived — with a thud. Net broadcast revenue and digital media revenue each declined year-over-year. Broadcast operating expenses inched upward. Operating income swung to a loss.

Over the last several months, the Jeff Andrulonis-led Colonial Media + Entertainment has shifted its focus on radio properties serving the Carolinas, and away from the southwestern portion of New York State. Now, the last of Colonial's Twin Tiers FMs is being spun, an Asset Purchase Agreement dated Oct. 30 just filed with the FCC indicates.

TRANSACTIONS TODAY last week shared the news that the nation's only farmer-and-rancher-owned radio association reached an agreement to purchase seven additional radio stations in Nebraska. The deal included six stations serving the Scottsbluff area. It turns out the association won't be keeping one of those properties.

At Forecast 2020, meet the companies that are ushering in the "Golden Age of radio attribution" at a session being led by Westwood One and parent Cumulus Media Chief Insights Officer Pierre Bouvard. Best of all, you’ll have a chance to ask questions of a panel of experts, live and in person, in a high-value learning and networking opportunity.