Connoisseur Media announced that it has agreed to sell five of its South Dakota stations to a group headed by a manager who has been with two of the stations for more than 30 years.
The five stations will be purchased by Brookings Radio LLC, which is led by Cami Powers. She has been part of KBRK(AM/FM) since 1994.
“The Brookings market did not fit into the long-term vision we set out for Connoisseur,” Jeff Warshaw, founder and CEO of Connoisseur Media, said in a release.
Warshaw explained that the company searched for local operators to purchase the stations, only to realize the suitable operators in the market were already working for Connoisseur.
The deal is pending Federal Communications Commission approval, and is expected to close in early summer, according to the release. Terms were not available.
Alpha Media acquired the five Brookings-area stations in 2015, according to FCC records. Connoisseur, subsequently, purchased Alpha’s holdings last year.
Homegrown
Powers began her career in sales at the Brookings pair in sales, and she rose to station manager by 2000.
In 2004, nearby KKQQ(FM), KJJO(AM) and KDBX(FM) were added to the Brookings group, and Powers became market manager.
Chad Hogie, who has been the stations’ business manager since 2015, as well as Powers’ husband, Derrick, are also part of the new Brookings Radio management team, according to the release.
Connoisseur was represented by Wilkinson Barker Knauer in the agreement, while Brookings Radio was represented by attorney Jared Gass.
[Related: “Connoisseur Finalizes Sales in Minnesota, South Dakota and Missouri”]
