His legal name is Keith Stover. For a generation of Pittsburgh radio listeners, he’s also known as Keith Clark. In recent years, Keith has been a minority owner of a pair of FM radio stations serving the Columbia, S.C., market.
Now, he’s taking majority ownership interest in the five-year-old Midlands Media Group.
Paperwork filed this week with the FCC confirms that Stover and Kirk Litton have signed off on a Membership Interest Purchase Agreemeent.
This sees Stover, through The 29 Group, purchase Triple M Broadcasting’s 54.05% stake in Midlands, licensee of Class A WWNQ-FM 94.3, a Columbia station licensed to Forest Acres, S.C. branded as “Undivided Country — The Dude;” and Class A WZMJ-FM 93.1 “The Lake” in nearby Batesburg, S.C.
With the deal, Stover’s attributable interest in Midlands rises to 74% from 20%. “FinLinSid, LLC,” an entity tied to Columbia, S.C., law firm McDonnell & Associates, retains its 14% equity interest.
The remaining 12% interest in Midlands is held by a second “silent partner,” Amegha, Litton tells RBR+TVBR.
He also notes that he is happy for Stover, who will soon have full control of the stations, and their activities, with Marie Stover alongside as VP of Marketing.
Midlands was formed in 2016 with the purchase of The Dude. In 2018, The Lake was added for $450,000.
Midlands has also put its resources toward online newspaper ColaDaily.com; e-commerce site ColaDailyDeals.com; and an online radio station: SodaCityFizz.com.
Columbia was once home to a Coca-Cola bottling plant; the “Soda City” name is a nickname that links in small part to this heritage.
As Keith Clark, Stover gained notoriety as an influential radio programmer and consultant best-known for his years at WBZZ-FM “B94” in Pittsburgh.
FROM THE RBR+TVBR ARCHIVES:
