RoRo Go-Go: Florida Panhandle FM Sold To Religious Non-Comm

A licensee known for its Christian-themed audio brands known as “The Joy FM” and “HIS Radio” has agreed to purchase a Panama City Beach radio station that was left for dead by a former owner after Hurricane Michael slammed the Florida Panhandle some six years ago.

Radio Training Network is moving forward with the acquisition of WRBA-FM 95.9 in Springfield, Fla., serving Panama City, Fla., from the north under a construction permit for a 32kw Class C2 facility.

The seller is RoRo Investments, led by Roberta Fagan.

A $225,000 purchase price has been agreed upon, with Todd Fowler and Fowler Media Consulting serving as RTN’s broker of record in this transaction.

RTN’s legal counsel is A. Wray Fitch of Gammon & Grange; the legal counsel representing the seller is Mark Balkin of Hardy, Carey, Chautin & Balkin of Mandeville, La.

Under Fagan’s ownership, WRBA has been a Classic Rock station branded as “B95.9.” The format dates to 1994, when it embraced the then-vogue “Arrow” all rock-and-roll Oldies format and branding, which disappeared in the early 2010s.

On Wednesday, October 10, 2018, the ferocity of Hurricane Michael tore through Bay County, on the Florida Panhandle. The city of Panama City Beach and communities to the north and east of this one-time Spring Break Capital of the U.S. were devastated.

Among the most heavily damaged business were a group of FMs owned by Baton Rouge-based Powell Broadcasting Company. Rather than rebuild the station’s facilities, Powell abandoned them, and in May 2019 agreed to sell three of them to Sam Rogatinsky, an attorney based in Fort Lauderdale, for $325,000.

Two months later, Rogatinsky’s Gulf Coast Media sold WRBA-FM, “Bob FM” Adult Hits WASJ-FM and Country WKNK-FM to Great American Media, led by Managing Member Aaron Scott Lee for $700,000.

Then, in May 2022, another transaction was consummated, as Lee spun the trio to Fagan’s RoRo Investments for just $180,000.