In a transaction that’s yet to be filed with the FCC, Saga Communications is acquiring four FMs in a big college market. While the price Saga is paying for the quartet was not shared in Saga’s press release, RBR+TVBR knows how much the seller earned for the stations.
In an 8-K filing made Tuesday (10/30) with the FCC, Saga revealed that it is acquiring the following stations from Ocala Broadcasting Corp.:
- Class C0 WOGK-FM 93.7 in Ocala, a Country station with a booming signal that can reach parts of the Orlando and Jacksonville markets
- Class A WNDT-FM 92.5 in Alachua, which serves Gainesville and High Springs but not Ocala
- Class A WNDD-FM 95.5 in Silver Springs, which serves Ocala, to the south of Gainesville, and is a simulcast partner of WNDT’s “Wind FM” Classic Rock format.
- Class A WNDN-FM 107.9 in Chiefland, which serves areas west of Gainesville and is also a WNDT simulcast partner.
Ocala Broadcasting is controlled by the Dix family. Commenting on their decision to part ways with “The Wind” and “K-Country,” Saga President/CEO Ed Christian said, “A number of years ago we let the Dix family know that these stations would be a great fit for Saga.”
Now, the family opted to say goodbye to broadcast radio ownership.
“It’s not often you get the opportunity to buy stations from the fifth generation of the founding family,” Christian added. “We see a lot of opportunity with these stations and these markets. We are pleased that the family has decided to entrust Saga with continuing their long-standing heritage of serving the Gainesville-Ocala region.”
Furthermore, Christian noted that Saga “intends to continue building its business in radio by identifying and acquiring middle market stations in dynamic communities.”
Christian did not discuss the purchase price of the four stations. However, the 8-K filing reveals that Saga is paying $9.3 million for the properties, “subject to certain price adjustments.”
WOGK was acquired by the Dix family’s predecessor to Ocala Broadcasting, Dix Communications, in 1986 from James Kirk. Under their stewardship, the station transitioned from AC WFUZ to CHR/Pop as WMMZ “Z93.7,” which was largely successful in its region of Florida through March 1994, when it joined the wave of stations that gave up Top 40 for Country.
Today, WOGK is the solid No. 1 in the Gainesville-Ocala market, ranked No. 88 by Nielsen Audio.
Meanwhile, “The Wind” is the lone rocker serving the region, home to the University of Florida. WNDN was added in November 1999, while WNDT was purchased for $675,000 by Ocala in 1997; WNDD was acquired by Ocala in 1998.
With the acquisition of the four stations from the Dix family, Saga enters a market where it will compete against Entercom Communications, University of Florida-owned WRUF-FM, JVC Broadcasting and locally owned Marc Radio.
