Showing no signs of slowing down in its effort to expand the K-Love and Air 1 networks, parent company Educational Media Foundation is buying two Class C FM signals from Beasley Media Group as it looks to strengthen its position in Charlotte and Las Vegas.
In Charlotte, Nielsen rated market #21, top-40 95.1 WNKS(FM) will go to EMF, while in Las Vegas, market #32, it acquires alternative rocker 107.5 KXTE(FM), licensed to Pahrump, Nev.
The transaction will leave Beasley with a count of 47 signals across 10 states.
“Our stated goal is to minister to people in all of the top 50 markets,” CEO Tom Stultz told Radio World in January. “Right now there are only a handful of these markets that don’t have K-Love or Air1 stations.”
Charlotte and Las Vegas are not totally new markets for K-Love.
However, KXTE gives the network full-market Las Vegas coverage from its site atop Potosi Mountain, while WNKS provides a powerful 100 kW ERP signal in Charlotte.
Currently, K-Love is heard on 91.9 WRCM(FM) in Charlotte, which EMF purchased from Columbia International University in 2014. Air 1 is heard on a 100.3 FM translator.
In Las Vegas, K-Love is heard on 87.7 KLVG(LD), a “Franken-FM,” and a 95.1 FM translator. EMF’s Air 1 network is heard on 89.3 KAER(FM) in Las Vegas, while its Spanish-language “Radio Nueva Vida” is heard on 91.1 KVKL(FM).
Terms of the deals were not disclosed. Both transactions are pending Federal Communications Commission approval and are expected to close in mid-October, according to a release.
K-Love is also adding a signal in Baltimore this year, pending FCC approval. It also bought Beasley’s 98.7 WPBB(FM) in the Tampa-St. Petersburg market last year.
The Beasley release said the “Maney and Lauren” morning show will move from WNKS to sister station 104.7 WKQC(FM). In Las Vegas, KXTE’s alternative rock programming and “X” branding will move up the dial to 107.9 KVGS(FM), licensed to Meadview, Ariz.
“These transactions reflect our continued commitment to strategically managing our portfolio while preserving the outstanding local brands and personalities our audiences know and love,” said Caroline Beasley, CEO of Beasley, in a release.
Kalil & Co. Inc. served as the broker to Beasley for the transaction.
[Do you receive the Radio World SmartBrief newsletter each weekday morning? We invite you to sign up here.]
