In August 2024, radio industry icon Randy Michaels signed off on an asset purchase agreement that put the wheels in motion to bring back a Classic Hits format to points north of Mason, Ohio, and to much of the Dayton market. Now, he’s agreed to purchase another FM with a full-market footprint in the Gem City.
On July 31, Michaels under his legal name signed off on an agreement that sees his Radioactive LLC agree to purchase Class A WYDB-FM 94.5 in Englewood, Ohio from Delmarva Educational Association.
With a broadcast tower to the northwest of downtown Dayton, WYDB covers cities to the north including Troy and Piqua, as well as Springfield, Ohio, a key portion of the Dayton DMA.
To the south, WYDB starts to fade in Middletown. Not to worry, though, as Radioactive’s WOXY-FM — purchased last year for $1.8 million — covers the Miami Valley communities sandwiched between Dayton and Cincinnati.
Add in originating station WNKR-FM 106.7 in Williamstown, Ky., due south of Covington, and “The Oasis” now has a two-market coverage area spanning many miles of the Interstate 75 corridor.
To obtain WYDB, a $145,000 purchase price has been agreed to. A $7,250 deposit has been made to DEA. Serving as the seller’s broker of record is Bryan Fowler of Fowler Media LLC.
Serving as Michaels’ legal counsel is Melissa Repp of Repp Law Firm. The legal representative for BEA is Davina Sashkin of Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP.
Radioactive is already operating WYDB thanks to a Local Marketing Agreement executed on July 31.
While DEA is the licensee selling WYDB, it previously aired conservative-aligned Spoken Word programming supplied by Salem Radio Network. The News/Talk format came in August 2021. Prior to that, WYDB had been Country for an eight-year run as “B94.5.” Before that, the WYDB facility was home to WLQT (from May 2011-July 2013); from 2000-2011 it was the original home of WDKF “Kiss.”
WYDB ended up in the Aloha Station Trust as forced divestment assets of the former Clear Channel Communications after it completed a leveraged buyout led by Bain & Capital and Thomas H. Lee Partners.
WYDB signed on as WZJX-FM “94-5 X-Rock” in December 1993 under General Manager George Wymer, today an Account Executive with Streamline Publishing.
