A transaction that will alter the ownership lineup at one station will also affect the commercial radio picture in two large western markets. We’re talking Portland OR and Seattle WA.
The station with a change in control is KWLZ-FM Warm Springs OR.
The seller is Horizon Broadcasting Group LLC, headed by President/CEO Keith Shipman.
The buyer is 3 Horizons LLC, headed by Keith Shipman and David Rauh, each with 50% interest.
The buyer is making a capital contribution into the surviving license company of $800,000.
Here’s the underlying motivation:
3 Cities Inc. owns KXXO-FM Olympia WA #6727. Both KWLZ and KXXO have CPs, and the two companies have formed 3 Horizons in order to build them out.
The station is licensed to Warm Springs OR. That version is a Class C on 96.5 MHz with 100 kW @ 1,089’. The signal is centered southeast of Portland, with the outermost contour just brushing up against the urbanized area.
The CP will move the station in more ways than one. It’s new city of license will be West Linn OR, and its new frequency will be 96.3 MHz. It will downgrade to Class C3, with 1.4 kW @ 1,266’. But this will be a huge improvement, because its contour will be centered over the Portland market.
KXXO-FM is a Class C on 96.1 MHz with 72 kW @ 2,100’. It’s located between Portland to the south and Seattle to the north, getting a primary contour over the southernmost part of Seattle. It’s a fringe station in Portland.
The CP will move the transmitter location closer and to the southwest of Seattle, and lower its power to 37 kW, with a higher HAAT of 2,352’. It’s coverage of Seattle will be a bit better and its fringe coverage of Portland will be sacrificed.
Parties have been in a JSA since 2004. The JSA will be modified and renewed.
