For outdoors enthusiasts, the Flambeau River flowing south from the town of Ladysmith, Wisc., is a relaxing and popular activity in the summer months.
This pocket of Northwest Wisconsin is home to two major wood window and door manufacturing companies, and an Owens Corning millwork manufacturing plant.
It could explain why the radio broadcasting company owned by Mike Oberg has opted to purchase an AM/FM combo dedicated to serving Rusk County.
For $100,000, the Oberg-led Zoe Communications, which today is a 50/50 partnership with Michigan-based George Manus, is acquiring WJBL-FM 93.1 — a Class A licensed to Ladysmith, Wisc. — and Class C WLDY-AM 1340, also licensed to Ladysmith.
The seller is Flambeau Broadcasting, led by President Randy Hudzinski.
The purchase puts Zoe in a new area of Wisconsin for its broadcast properties, as it already owns six FMs, three AMs and four FM translators in other cities across the state.
Those properties include WGMO-FM in Spooner, Wisc., a Class C3 facility. WGMO made headlines in June 2019 as Zoe filed paperwork with the FCC signaling its intention to purchase a simulcast partner of WGMO located nearly 180 miles to the north — WVVE-FM 95.3 in Grand Marais, Minn.
However, by year’s end Zoe backed out of the deal.
