In late May, RBR+TVBR first reported on the planned sale of a Class A FM licensed to Cuney, Tex., that served as the home of a NPR Member station which ultimately proved unsuccessful with respect to listener support. The station shut down, going dark under special temporary authority from the FCC.
Now, the University of Texas at Tyler has found a buyer, thanks in part to broker Greg Guy of Tideline Partners and Scott Fybush of Fybush Media.
An agreement finalized on September 3 shows KVUT-FM 99.7 has been purchased by RCA Broadcasting LLC for $100,000.
A $5,000 payment has been placed in escrow and is being held by Tideline Partners. The remaining terms call for a $90,000 payment directly to the university from RCA, and $10,000 from Tideline to the university (a second escrow payment of $5,000 is due).
Terms call for UT Tyler to retain the “KVUT” call letters.
RCA is led by Scottie Rice and is headquartered in Longview, Tex., and it used the services of Fybush as its broker and as the “Technical Representative” in the transaction.
UT Tyler’s legal counsel is Howard Liberman of Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP.
The silence of KVUT, at 99.7 MHz, came Friday, May 24, at 5pm Central, in a decision made by the University of Texas at Tyler College of Arts and Sciences.
“This move aligns with our core mission and allows us to reinvest in our academic programming, offering more educational opportunities to students, particularly in our Department of Communication,” UT Tyler College of Arts and Sciences Dean Neil Gray said as he thanked the station’s team, donors and listeners for their support. “Reinvesting in our students is crucial for fostering the next generation of communicators, journalists and media professionals. By reallocating resources, we can enhance our curriculum, provide cutting-edge technology and create hands-on learning experiences that prepare our students for the rapidly evolving media landscape.”
UT Tyler spent $120,000 to acquire KVUT in June 2020 from North Texas Public Radio. After a soft launch, a Sept. 14, 2021, official debut of the station under UT Tyler ownership came.
