R.I.P. Bill Burton

Eric Rhoads wrote a fitting tribute to Bill Burton for Radio Ink's Ink Tank.

George
Media Services Group

Alpha Media to purchase Access 1 Communications radio stations in Shreveport and Tyler-Longview

For Immediate Release: December 22, 2014
Portland, OR
Contact: Randi P’Pool
Direct: 503-517-6376

Alpha Media of Portland, Oregon announced today they have entered into a definitive agreement to purchase radio stations from Access 1 Communications. Access 1 Communications owns nine radio stations; five stations located in Shreveport, Louisiana which include KBTT(FM), KOKA(AM), KDKS(FM), KLKL(FM), KTAL(FM) and four radio stations in Tyler-Longview, Texas; KKUS(FM), KOOI(FM), KOYE(FM) and KYKX(FM). Alpha Media will begin operating the Access 1 stations under an LMA starting January 1, 2015.

Larry Wilson, Chairman of Alpha Media will add the Access 1 clusters to the seventy stations (which include two under LMAs) currently in the Alpha Media portfolio. When all pending deals are completed, it will bring the total number of stations owned by Alpha Media to eighty-three (this includes the pending acquisition of six California stations). Commenting on the acquisition, Wilson said, “I’ve known Chesley Maddox-Dorsey for a long time. She’s a great person with superb integrity and it’s a tremendous honor for us to be buying stations from Access 1. I’ve been continually impressed with the quality of people I’ve met and their passion for the industry; it fits right in our sweet spot for live and local radio and we are very much looking forward to the acquisition.”

Chesley Maddox-Dorsey, President and CEO of Access 1 Communications said, “Larry Wilson continues to display the dynamism that has earned him the best in class title for our industry. With our sale to Alpha Media, our employees, listeners and advertising partners in East Texas and Shreveport, Louisiana will have the opportunity to work with a visionary group of media professionals with a demonstrated track record of success. We are thrilled that we could pass our baton to this incredibly imaginative company that will maintain that intimate connection with listeners and advertisers that we have come to cherish.”

This transaction will be filed with the Federal Communications Commission shortly and is subject to their approval.

Alpha Media, headquartered in Portland, Oregon owns and operates 68 radio stations and 2 additional stations under LMAs in 12 markets across the United States covering all formats including Top 40, Adult Contemporary, Spanish, Urban, News Talk, Sports, Rock, Country and more. In addition to the radio stations; Alpha Media owns the digital media and marketing company; Xapsis in Peoria, Illinois and the intimate performance venues, Bing Lounge in Portland, Oregon and Alamo Lounge in San Antonio, Texas.

I represented the seller.

George
Media Services Group

WEZV-FM, WYEZ-FM and WGTN-FM (Myrtle Beach) Sold

PRESS RELEASE
December 22, 2014

WEZV-FM, WYEZ-FM and WGTN-FM (Myrtle Beach, SC) have been sold by Fidelity Broadcasting Corporation to Compass Radio Group LLC for $1,600,000. Fidelity is headed by Jerry Bresson and Compass by Bob Woodward (55%) and John Trent (45%). Compass is already programming the stations under a Time Brokerage Agreement.  The sale is subject to FCC approval.

WEZV-FM (Easy 105.9), North Myrtle Beach, is a Class C3 on 105.9 MHz with 17 kW @ 361’. It is simulcast on sister WGTN-FM, known as Easy 100.7. WGTN-FM is a Class A with 3.1 kW @ 446’.
WYEZ-FM (Movin 94.5), Murrells Inlet is a Class C3 on 94.5 MHz with 12 kW @ 476’. The format is Rhythmic Oldies.

I represented the seller.

George
Media Services Group

Entercom buys Lincoln Financial Media for $105 million

Here is the Press Release.

George
Media Services Group

Waterloo Closes

NRG Media, LLC has completed the acquisition of the assets of radio stations
KFMW-FM, KOKZ-FM, KWLO-AM, and KXEL-AM, Waterloo, IA from Woodward Communications Inc. The purchase price is $3,550,000.

Jody McCoy of Media Services Group’s Colorado Springs office was the exclusive broker representing the seller in this transaction.

For more information:

Jody McCoy
719.630.3111
jbmccoy@MediaServicesGroup.com

Welcoming Bill Cate to Media Services Group

I got into the brokerage business in 1987 after working on the station side for many years.  Bill Cate hired me at Chapman Associates and provided great training on "how to be a broker."

With that bit of history in mind, I am delighted to announce that Bill is joining Media Services Group.  We have now truly gotten the old band back together.

The formal press release stated, “He brings with him a background of station ownership, as well as 36 years of media brokerage.  Bill is the former co-owner and president of Chapman Associates, and brings a wealth of knowledge to our group.”  

About joining our team, Bill added, “I am extremely pleased to be joining Media Services Group. Many of the partners go back to my days with Chapman Associates, and it’ll be great to be back working with them. I believe there is strength in numbers, and Media Services Group offers the widest diversity of brokerage services to our industry. I look forward to the affiliation and believe it will enable me to better serve my clients with greatly expanded resources, much more than operating as a standalone media broker.”

Bill will continue to work out of the Little Rock area.  You can contact him at:

501.727.5100
Cate@MediaServicesGroup.com

George

Media Services Group

See you at the Radio Show!

The Media Services Group suite is number 325 at the Westin in Indy. 

#RadioShow2014

NRG Media Acquires Waterloo, IA From Woodward Communications

NRG Media, LLC  has agreed to purchase the assets of radio stations KFMW-FM, KOKZ-FM, KWLO-AM, and KXEL-AM, Waterloo, IA from Woodward Communications Inc. (subject to FCC approval).  The purchase price is $3,550,000. 

Jody McCoy of Media Services Group’s Colorado Springs office was the exclusive broker representing the seller in this transaction.

George
Media Services Group

Will We See You At The Radio Show?

The Radio Show in Indy is just weeks away. Media Services Group will be at the Westin. Let me know if you would like to get together. #Radio

George

Let's meet at the NAB Show

The Media Services Group suite is in the Encore tower, # 3806.  Please stop by and say hello.

George

Radio has turned the corner

Radio revenues are reported up two months in a row in both New York and Los Angeles.  The broadcasters I am talking with are, for the most part, telling the same story.  The radio business is improving.

The overhang of workouts and bankruptcy deals has been absorbed into the market.  The depressed pricing inherent in these types of transactions has pretty much run its course.  Balance Sheets today are much healthier than those from five or six years ago.

Bottom line:  Radio has turned the corner.

While multiples are still mostly between 6x and 7x, look for fewer deals in the 5s and more pushing 8x.  The bias is now clearly to the upside.

If you would like to confidentially discuss station pricing and opportunities, the Media Services Group suite will once again be at the Encore beginning on Sunday.  Please get in touch if you would like to get together.

George
Media Services Group

Attending the Hispanic Radio Conference?

If you're headed to the Radio Ink Hispanic Radio Conference next week in San Diego and would like to get together, please let me know.

George
Media Services Group

JVC expands into Gainesville-Ocala, FL

JVC Media/JVC Broadcasting has expanded with JVC Media of Florida’s announcement to purchase a Gainesville/Ocala, FL cluster from Asterisk Communications. JVC has been operating the stations in an LMA since May. On January 17, JVC filed its formal application to acquire the stations for $3.5 Million.*

The stations include Hot AC WMFQ-FM, Country WTRS-FM/WYGC-FM simulcast and Rhythmic CHR WXJZ (“Party 100.9”). The $3.5 million deal includes $350K down, $500,000 in a promissory note and $2,650,000 cash at closing.

JVC will spin its CHR/Dance WBXY-FM (“Party 99.5) to RMA Media (Ricardo Arroyo) for $500K. On December 26, Party 99.5’s format was moved to JVC’s WXJZ-FM (100.9) last month. John Caracciolo and Victor Canales are the principals of JVC, and financing is provided by Northwood Ventures. The stations include two primarily serving the Ocala and three oriented to the northern Gainesville side.

Ocala
WTRS-FM Dunnellon, a Class C2 on 102.3 MHz with 50 kW @ 489’
WMFQ-FM Ocala, a Class C2 on 92.9 MHz with 50 kW @ 476’

Gainesville
WXJZ-FM Gainesville, a Class A on 100.9 MHz with 6 kW @ 299’
WBXY-FM La Crosse, a Class A on 99.5 MHz with 2.2 kW @ 472’
WYGC-FM High Springs, a Class A on 104.9 MHz with 3.2 kW @ 449’

I was pleased to represent the seller, Asterisk Communications in the transaction.  Congratulations to Fred Ingham, John Caracciolo, Paul Homer, Ricardo Arroyo, and Victor Canales on the deal.

*Pending FCC approval

George
Media Services Group

Tower database available

Closed Circuit to tower owners:

The Inside Towers database has been released and is now shipping.

You can now lookup, plot, map sort and filter all of the tower information from the FCC’s tower registration database in one easy-to-use program.  Custom user information, including attaching local files and folders can be appended to any record.  Towers may be looked up by distance from a Zip Code, lat/long coordinates or an existing tower.  Column displays are customizable.  And the database may be updated (online) as often as you require.

Google maps and Google Earth satellite and mapping are available with a single click.  And fields may be exported for further use in another program.

The database is available for a one-time fee of $1,500; quotes for multiple licenses are available on request. Contact Inside Towers today at:  Inside Towers Database 

You can order today at:  Order Inside Towers Database

George
Media Services Group