Jim Schwartzel is one step closer to merging the news operations of two broadcast television stations serving the Fort Myers-Naples-Marco Island market. That’s thanks to FCC approval of Sun Broadcasting‘s purchase of the station known across Southwest Florida as “FOX 4.”
At the same time, the Commission has given the OK of a waiver allowing the company to complete its purchase of radio stations from Beasley Media Group.
The Commission on Friday formally granted the transfer of control of WFTX-TV in Cape Coral, Fla., from The E.W. Scripps Co. to Sun, led by Schwartzel — a Republican Congressional candidate who announced in April 2025 that he seeks to represent the region in the House of Representatives.
Now, closing of that $40 million purchase appears imminent as Sun looks to pair WFTX with The CW affiliate for Fort Myers-Naples, WXCW-TV, and two low-power TV stations offering Univision and UniMás programming. Why did Scripps sell “FOX 4”? The company intends to use cash from the sale of WFTX to pay down debt, Scripps President/CEO Adam Symson said at the time.
“The sale of WFTX to Sun Broadcasting will put the station in the hands of a locally based company with deep roots in the Southwest Florida community,” Symson said. “When opportunities like this arise, we evaluate our business strategies to determine whether we are the best owners for that station or whether a swap or sale makes the most sense. In this case, we believe WFTX and its viewers will be well cared for by the new owners, and Scripps is able to use the transaction to reduce debt and improve our station portfolio’s financial profile.”
Once closing comes, Sun, WFTX, WXCW and the two LPTV properties will be paired with WRXK “96 K-Rock”; FM translators W243BM, W268AH and W286AK; and WXKB “B103.9” — acquired from Beasley in a separate $9 million transaction — and its pre-existing group of FMs. Those stations are comprised of News/Talk WFSX, Country WHEL, Classic Rock WARO, Hip-Hop WFFY and “FOX Sports SWFL” FM translator simulcast partners W231DC, W277AP and W290DB.
Yes, if you counted six full-power FM stations for Sun, that is correct, as the FCC concurrently granted a waiver, as expected, to allow that deal to reach consummation.
Sally Buckman of Lerman Senter served as the legal representative for Beasley; Jason Rademacher of Cooley LLP served as FCC Counsel to Sun.
To view the Sun waiver request in full, please click here.
A CLOSE ALLIANCE PASSES COMMISSION TEST
Beasley also engaged with Fort Myers Broadcasting, owned by the McBride Family, in the sale of an AM and two FMs it is purchasing. That second $9 million deal will pair those three radio properties with three FMs already under Fort Myers ownership.
This has led some to question the relationship between Fort Myers Broadcasting and Sun Broadcasting. While each company are wholly separate and do not share any ownership partners, Schwartzel-led Sun entered into a content and sales partnership with Fort Myers Broadcasting. As such, the WINK News and FOX 4 News departments are expected to consolidate.
Furthermore, Jim Schwartzel’s father, Joe Schwartzel, is the retired General Manager of WINK-TV. And, the “Joseph C. Schwartzel Irrevocable Trust of 2011” is the 100% interest holder in Sun under Jim Schwartzel’s control.
All of the Fort Myers Broadcasting and Sun Broadcasting properties share the same operations center.
Then, there is the younger Schwartzel’s political ambitions, and how that may have potentially influenced the Commission in granting the petitions for transfer of control of WFTX-TV and the Beasley stations.
With the waiver from the Commission granted to a political candidate who says, “Just like President Donald Trump, I am a businessman – not a politician – and I’m ready to be your conservative fighter in Congress,” Schwartzel’s business will effectively control the sales and programming for 62.2% of the local radio market, with iHeartMedia and Renda Broadcasting the remaining local competitors. Specifically, Fort Myers stations will comprise 28.3% of local market radio revenue; Sun stations will represent 33.9% of local radio dollars.
With the anticipated combination of WINK News and “FOX 4” news resources, Southwest Florida will be left with one other news source for TV viewers: “Gulf Coast News,” seen on Hearst Television-owned WBBH-20 (formerly Waterman Broadcasting’s privately held NBC affiliate) and LMA partner WZVN, branded as “ABC7.”
Meanwhile, the local newspaper market has been decimated over the last 20 years due to decreased advertising and changing news consumer habits. The Naples Daily News, owned by Scripps, through the mid-2000s vigorously competed against the News-Press, the Fort Myers daily owned by Gannett Co. With Journal Communications’ merger with The E.W. Scripps Co., the Naples newspaper became a Journal Media Group publication. That was subsequently purchased by Gannett in April 2016, with the once fierce rivals all but combining. Today, each newspaper prints its own edition, albeit with largely the same content.
