With 3,200 watts from 2 towers during daylight hours and 290 watts from 3 towers after dark, WVKO-AM in Columbus, Ohio, enjoys market-wide coverage for its Black Gospel format, branded as “1580 The Praise.”
Now, the station and its silent FM translator at 92.9 MHz are heading to a new owner.
TSJ Radio LLC is agreeing to part ways with WVKO and W255CS in Columbus by selling them to I.C.S. Communications, 100% controlled by Mark Litton.
The purchase of WVKO and the FM translator are a return to broadcast station ownership for Litton, who with the late Robb Case owned radio stations in central Ohio, including WAHC and WAKS. That was more than 25 years ago.
Fast-forward to 2008, when I.C.S. acquired WDLR-AM 1550 in Delaware, Ohio, from the licensee led by Case, who had died from cancer the previous autumn. He owned the station until the end of 2014, when I.C.S. sold WDLR and two other properties, WQTT-FM and WVXG-FM.
The transaction is valued at $220,000, and a $10,000 security deposit has been paid to TSJ Radio. An additional amount of $40,000 will be placed in escrow.
An LMA agreement is already in effect.
TSJ in September 2019 acquired W225CS, which has a unique signal pattern that allows the facility to reach the southern and eastern portions of the metropolitan area.
Terms called for TSJ to exercise its right to deduct unpaid obligations of $26,277.50 from the purchase price.
The base purchase price for the translator is $30,000; Thus, TSJ needs to pay $3,722.50 in cash.
It is a revision of a prior purchase option that saw TSJ able to purchase the translator for $60,000.
The transaction comes as further positive news of fans of “The Praise,” which was heading to a new owner as of November 2018. For $2.5 million, Lazo Media agreed to acquire WVKO, with 2 daytime towers and 3 nighttime towers; and Class A WOXY-FM 97.7 in Mason from TSJ Radio.
The deal never closed. The Black Gospel format is not expected to change as of this writing.
