On November 10, 2022, RBR+TVBR confirmed the sale of a “beloved” Adult Alternative radio station serving the home of the U.S. Naval Academy and Maryland’s state capitol. Steve Kingston, the longtime radio industry figure, had struck a deal to sell WRNR-FM 103.1 in Annapolis, Md.
The buyer is the owner of a Christian-themed broadcasting network dedicated to “sharing God’s love in the Baltimore and Washington area.” And, they’ll officially assume control of the station at 12:01am Saturday (2/11).
That’s according to a report in the Baltimore Sun and Capital Gazette on Wednesday, in which Kingston confirmed the conclusion of WRNR’s current format at the end of the work week.
Kingston purchased the station in May 1997 from Jake Einstein-led Encore Broadcasting of Maryland for $2.3 million. It had been known as WRNR since September 1994.
Now, Kingston is ready to take $1.54 million for the Class A station licensed to Graysonville, Md., which mainly serves the Annapolis, Md., area, from Peter and John Radio Fellowship.
Once the deal closes, WRNR will join WRBS-AM 1230 & FM 95.1 in Baltimore in the PJM family. WRBS is a 50kw Class B facility, with city-grade coverage of Annapolis, in addition to much of the District of Columbia and the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C.
WRBS-AM is a 600 watt-AM with 1 tower airing “Positive Talk,” which includes such syndicated programming as “The Dave Ramsey Show” in afternoon drive.
What does this mean for WRNR? “Positive Hits,” an alternative Christian Contemporary Music format, presently airs on WRBS-FM HD2. This could be placed on WRNR. Alternatively, the WRBS-AM programming could end up on WRNR, giving it an FM home.
Representing Kingston as the brokers in the transaction are Larry Patrick and Greg Guy of Patrick Communications.
Until the early 2010s, WRNR’s signal benefited by being reachable in much of the Baltimore area. In 2016, trouble was brewing, however. In a public notice issued without comment on Oct. 28, 2016, a translator set to take the same frequency in heart of Baltimore was nixed by the FCC. The rescission of a grant to the translator’s owner came after an August 30, 2016, petition for reconsideration was filed by Kingston’s Empire Broadcasting.
What party wanted the FM translator at 103.1 MHz in downtown Baltimore? PJM, owner of WRBS-AM & FM.
Today, the market dynamics for WRNR are much different. First, COVID-19 made life difficult for radio sellers in many locales across the U.S. Second, serving the Baltimore market became a greater challenge. WTMD-FM, the Adult Alternative station serving Baltimore operated by Your Public Radio, also emerged as a formidable competitor sans commercial breaks.
Now, hours remain for WRNR, ending a nearly 29-year run. But, will a new incarnation of WRNR emerge? Empire will retain ownership of the intellectual property of the station, including the Adult Alternative format and the call letters, and Kingston said in November he is exploring other opportunities. This includes a different FM radio station, and/or digital distribution.
