At a time when notable radio station sales have slowed to a trickle, Connoisseur Media has turned up the faucet with the announcement that it will acquire the stations of Alpha Media.
The combined company will retain the Connoisseur name and be led by Jeff Warshaw, Connoisseur’s CEO, according to a release.
Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The transaction is subject to FCC approval and is expected to close in the second half of 2025. In the meantime, Connoisseur and Alpha have entered into an LMA.
Alpha’s 207 stations in 44 U.S. markets will now be added to a portfolio that currently consists of 11 stations on Long Island and in Connecticut. That will place Connoisseur among the top 10 radio groups by station count, the release said.
Alpha’s properties are spread across the country, which includes stations in San Antonio, Portland, Ore., Salt Lake City, Nassau–Suffolk, Palm Springs and San Jose.
When reached by Radio World for comment on plans for Alpha’s existing staff, Warshaw said that Connoisseur just signed the LMA and is now “excited to get to know the team and working with everyone with plans to grow the business.”
Warshaw highlighted the merger’s integration of Alpha Digital, its digital marketing arm, with Ferocious Digital, which is owned and operated by Connoisseur.
Alpha made headlines in 2023 for putting the AI voice “AI Ashley” on its Portland, Ore., Top 40 station 95.5 KBFF(FM) during middays, but the station recently announced it hired a human host, Tamara Dhia, for the daypart. In 2021, Alpha filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to reduce its more than $250 million in reported debt. RadioInsight reported on significant staffing cuts to its Missouri stations last year.
Connoisseur, based in Westport, Conn., sold off many of its properties in 2018 and 2019 but made two unsuccessful offers to acquire all of Cumulus Media’s stations in 2022, according to Inside Radio. Warshaw founded the company in 2004.
The Portland-based Alpha was founded by Larry Wilson and is led by CEO Bob Proffitt.
