El fin is coming for La Raza in the capital city of the Palmetto State.
In a transaction announced yesterday (August 16), Hispanic-focused Norsan Broadcasting has agreed to sell regional Mexican WCEO-AM 840 “La Raza” in Columbia, SC to 21st Century Broadcasting.
The price? Exactly $1,138,223.07.
WCEO is a 50kw Class D daytimer with three towers. It boasts a sun-up to sun-down signal that stretches southwest to Augusta, GA and northeast to the North Carolina border. WCEO must shut down at night to protect iHeartRadio’s WHAS-AM/Louisville, a 50kw clear channel facility heard across the East Coast after dark and before dawn.
Dick Kozacko of Kozacko Media Services represented Norsan; John Willis of Perry & Satterfield represented 21st Century Broadcasting.
With the divestment of WCEO, Norsan—led by Norberto Sanchez—will focus on its Norsan Media-branded properties in Jacksonville, FL; Charlotte and Greensboro, NC; and Knoxville, TN.
WCEO was Norsan’s lone property in Columbia; it also has a stand-alone AM in Knoxville, while operating clusters in its other markets.
Meanwhile, buyer 21st Century Broadcasting is making a return to radio ownership, according to its Form 314 filing made with the Commission yesterday. While it does not own any other stations, the Lewis-led entity in June agreed to acquire WEZO-AM 1230 in Augusta, GA, a 1kw Class C facility with 1 tower, for $350,000.
WEZO’s signal covers the entire Augusta, GA metropolitan area. With WCEO now in the mix, the News/Talk format branded as “iTalkUS” could get a big signal boost—at least during daylight hours.
The Norma Jean Lewis-led 21st Century is no first-time entrant to radio transactions. As was reported by RBR + TVBR, the company had been involved with the 2013 purchase of WDXZ-AM 1000/Robertsdale, AL and WBZR-FM 105.9/Atmore, Ala. The deal was valued at $325,000. The deal was never consummated.
Today, WDXZ carries the calls WJNZ and is owned by Noah Britt’s Tri City Radio; WBZR is owned by Earnest White’s Tri-County Broadcasting.
