XPost: rec.radio.info

RadioInsight

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Coastal Television Acquires Lafayette IN Cluster As Part Of Larger TV Deal

Posted: 29 Jul 2021 08:59 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/211203/coastal-television-acquires-lafayette-in-cluster-as-part-of-larger-tv-deal/



Coastal Television Broadcasting Group have agreed to purchase most of the broadcast assets owned by Mike Reed and Bill Christian under multiple
banners including Waypoint Media, Vision Communications and Star City Broadcasting.

Included in the deal are the four radio stations operated by Star City in Lafayette IN: Variety Hits 95.3 Bob-FM WBPE, Country Y95 95.7 WYCM, CHR
Z96.5 WAZY, and Conservative Talk 104.3 The Patriot 1410 WSHY/104.3 W282CJ.

The deal also includes television stations in Elmira NY, Jackson TN,
Jonesboro AR, Lafayette, and Meridian MS, a centralized NewsHub based in
Little Rock, and the Nulogic Digital Marketing. Led by Bill Fielder,
Coastal Television currently owns stations in Anchorage AK, Casper and
Cheyenne WY and Tupelo MS.

Christian and Reed had agreed to sell their stations to Standard Media in November 2019 for $59.2 million, but that deal did not close. They then
sold their eleven Elmira and Olean NY radio properties to Seven Mountains
Media for $1.8 million in a three-way deal also involving Family Life Ministries earlier this year.

Broadcasting industry veterans Mike Reed and Bill Christian, have signed an agreement to sell most of their stations to Coastal Television Broadcasting Group. Terms were not immediately announced. The deal includes nine big
four network affiliates, five CW or MyNets, numerous diginets and four
radio stations, as well as the centralized NewsHub in Little Rock Arkansas, plus the fast-growing Nulogic Digital Marketing agency that serves the TV
and Radio stations.

Five years ago, Christian and Reed launched new ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and CW stations in previously unserved markets of Jackson, TN, Jonesboro, AR and Lafayette, IN. They effectively built more big four networks in a three
year period than anyone in history. “We are so excited that we could bring new local service into these markets, while growing our legacy stations in Mississippi and New York,” said owner Mike Reed. “We jumped in feet first and provided new options for local news and programming and showed our commitment to our communities by providing local scholarship endowments to
our universities. All of our stations eagerly embraced our mission of
“Paying it Forward” to our employees, our advertisers and our communities. We are excited that Coastal Television Broadcasting will continue and grow
that tradition.”

Bill Fielder and his management team, including Scott Centers, are
aggressively building a strong group of stations in markets across America. Starting with a single station in Alaska in 2008, his Coastal Television Broadcasting Group expanded its reach and coverage over the past decade to cover the vast state of Alaska. Then in 2020, they added coverage of the majority of the state of Wyoming to Coastal’s portfolio. Coastal also owns
a station in the Tupelo/Columbus Mississippi DMA. This acquisition more
than doubles the size of Coastal, resulting in a presence in the northeast, midwest, southeast and west.

Bill Fielder added, “We are enthusiastic to announce the acquisitions of these television and radio stations, the NewsHub and Nulogic. All of these businesses have strong leadership, a strong tradition of community service
and incredible teams driving them forward. I know I speak for all Coastal’s team when I say that we are proud that Mike Reed and Bill Christian have entrusted us with the stewardship of their businesses.”

“We see this as a win-win for all involved,” says Christian. “As the broadcasting industry consolidates, it is important for small broadcast companies to scale in size. Mike and I looked out at the landscape, and we
felt these stations could best compete by combining with another group to maximize leverage. We are proud of what we have achieved and are grateful
to all of our teams who have worked tirelessly to serve our communities,
from finding lost dogs to giving life-saving information from tornadoes to COVID, while providing world class entertainment and sports programming.”



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Cumulus Surrenders KVEN; Dodgers Move To FM

Posted: 29 Jul 2021 08:31 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/211200/cumulus-surrenders-kven-dodgers-move-to-fm/



On the heels of turning in the license of 1320 KSCR Eugene OR, Cumulus
Media has turned in the license of another AM.

Cumulus has surrendered 1450 KVEN Ventura CA to the FCC ending 73 years of operation for the station. KVEN had been carrying CBS Sports Radio
programming as SportsRadio 1450 since the networks launch in January 2013
after previously carrying ESPN Radio programming since 2011. The station
spent much of the 2000s as Oldies 1450 The Boomer after a long run with News/Talk.

With the end of the Sports format, one piece of KVENs programming has move
to another Cumulus owned station in the Oxnard/Ventura market. Los Angeles Dodgers baseball began airing on CHR 106.3 The Vibe KVYB Oak View on July
23.



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TuneIn and iHeartMedia Announce Content & Advertising Partnership

Posted: 29 Jul 2021 07:10 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/211197/tunein-and-iheartmedia-announce-content-advertising-partnership/



TuneIn and iHeartMedia have announced a content and advertising partnership.

As part of the deal, iHeartMedias stations will become available on the
TuneIn platform in addition to iHearts own iHeartRadio app. TuneIn will
also gain access to advertising demand from iHeartMedias internal assets including local ad sellers and Triton Digitals Supply Side Platform
technology.

TuneIn, the world’s leading live streaming audio service, and iHeartMedia, the leading audio company in America and the No. 1 podcast publisher, today announced a partnership that will enable TuneIn to distribute iHeartMedia’s more than 850 leading digital stations. TuneIn will also gain access to
local advertising demand from iHeartMedia’s unique monetization assets, including its massive sales force of nearly 2,000 sellers in every major
market nationwide, and Triton Digital’s best-in-class advertising
technology.

To further iHeartMedia’s distribution strategy to be everywhere their listeners are, iHeart has selected TuneIn’s open platform to distribute its more than 850 leading radio stations in the US including stations such as
New York’s Z100 and POWER 105.1, Los Angeles’ KISS FM and KFI FM, and Nashville’s BIG 98 WSIX. These stations will be available digitally on TuneIn’s mobile apps and website beginning today.

As part of this partnership, TuneIn will leverage Triton Digital’s
(recently acquired by iHeartMedia) industry-leading audio Supply Side
Platform (SSP) that will seamlessly enable both the direct sale, through iHeart’s sophisticated local salesforce, as well as the programmatic sale, through TuneIn’s salesforce reaching audio publishers’ inventory across TuneIn‘s 200+ consumer platform touchpoints, offering brands even more audience reach and targetability.

“The TuneIn and iHeart partnership is a great marriage of content and technology enabled by Triton’s cutting edge and comprehensive suite of
audio advertising technology to support streaming audio and podcasts
businesses with both direct and programmatic sales. With Triton’s SSP,
local advertisers will now have the ability to reach additional iHeart and TuneIn listeners through both direct and programmatic sales,” said Brian Kaminsky, Chief Data Officer and President of Revenue Strategies for iHeartMedia. “We are also excited that TuneIn’s open radio platform allows us to share our content and programming with even more streaming radio
fans. Triton’s Audio Ad Tech delivers targeted audio advertising across the entire spectrum of listening platforms web, mobile apps, smart speakers
and across other distribution platforms like TuneIn.”

“The relationship with iHeart demonstrates the power of TuneIn’s open platform to flexibly align with the content, distribution and monetization assets of our partners to jointly create new and previously unrecognized value,” said Rob Deichert, Chief Revenue Officer for TuneIn. “We’re incredibly pleased to partner with iHeartMedia and Triton as we continue
our mission to delight listeners and reinvent radio for a connected world.”



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WGFX Extends Titans Rights Deal

Posted: 29 Jul 2021 06:07 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/211195/wgfx-extends-titans-rights-deal/



Cumulus Media Sports 104.5 The Zone WGFX Gallatin/Nashville TN has
announced an extension with the NFLs Tennessee Titans to keep their game broadcasts on the station through the 2025 season.

As part of the deal WGFX will also air weekly shows with players, coaches,
and game analyst Dave Coach Mac McGinnis. WGFX has served as flagship
station for Titans broadcasts since 2010. The station, under previous
formats, also carried the teams games starting from 1996 (ahead of its move
to Nashville from Houston) until 2001 and again in 2004.

The Tennessee Titans and Cumulus’s 104.5 The Zone, the unrivaled leader in Nashville and Middle Tennessee sports audio, today announced that they have entered into a multi-year partnership extension designating 104.5 The Zone/WGFX-FM as the official radio broadcasting home of the Tennessee
Titans and Titans Radio. The agreement extends broadcasting rights to 104.5
The Zone for Game Day Play-by-Play with Mike Keith and color analyst Dave “Coach Mac” McGinnis, including Pre- and Post-Game programming and weekly shows through the 2025 NFL Season.

In addition to Game Day coverage, 104.5 The Zone will air weekly shows throughout the season that give Titans fans access to top players and
coaches via exclusive interviews, including The Mike Vrabel Show, Titans Tonight, and MAC TALK and weekly Players Shows featuring current Titans players.

Titans Radio strongholds Mike Keith and Dave “Coach Mac” McGinnis enter their fifth season together on Titans Radio. The dynamic combination of
Keith, a Hall of Fame play-by-play announcer, and McGinnis, a former NFL
head coach, provide Titans fans with high voltage excitement, information,
and insight that are unmatched.

Gil Beverly, Senior Vice President / Chief Marketing Revenue Officer, Tennessee Titans, said: “The Tennessee Titans and 104.5 The Zone have had a long-standing partnership and we are excited to continue with a brand that shares our vision for the Titans. The Zone has established itself as
preeminent Middle Tennessee sports leader and the Titans Radio Network will continue to create an incredible offering for passionate fans across the state.”

  

Allison Warren, Vice President and Market Manager, Cumulus Nashville
remarked: “As the predominant sports voice in Middle Tennessee, we’re proud to extend our partnership with the Tennessee Titans. We are committed to bringing 104.5 The Zone listeners and Titans fans the compelling sports
content they seek.”

 

Paul Mason, Operations Manager/Program Director, 104.5 The Zone/WGFX-FM and Titans Radio Network, noted: “The Tennessee Titans and 104.5 The Zone are among the best marriages in the NFL, and we are excited to continue as the flagship station for Titans Radio. I am thrilled that our listeners will
hear Mike Keith, Coach Dave McGinnis, Rhett Bryan, and Amie Wells on The
Zone and on Titans Radio for years to come.”

  

Along with its incomparable on-air broadcasts, 104.5 The Zone brings the area’s best sports content to Nashville and Middle Tennessee sports fans through Zone TV, streaming, on-demand, live events and the 104.5 The Zone Podcast Network. With expanded sports coverage and entertainment through
the station’s new content partnership with A to Z Sports, 104.5 The Zone brings it all together to deliver the best live and local sports content to fans wherever they are and whenever they want it.




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WGTN Gets Countryfied

Posted: 29 Jul 2021 05:30 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/211190/wgtn-gets-countryfied/



Rod Stalveys Waccamaw Broadcasting has flipped Oldies/Standards 1400
WGTN/107.5 W298CO Georgetown SC to Classic Country Countryfied 107.5.

WGTN has gone under a wheel of formats the past few years. Since November
2018 the stations has flipped from News/Talk to Country and then CHR via
LMA to Comedy to Oldies/Standards last December focusing on music from the 1940s through 60s and now Classic Country.



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Chris Tingle Joins Townsquare As Texarkana Market President

Posted: 29 Jul 2021 05:17 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/211188/chris-tingle-joins-townsquare-as-texarkana-market-president/



Townsquare Media has announced the appointment of Chris Tingle as Market President/Chief Revenue Officer for their Texarkana cluster.

Tingle most recently served as Mid-South Region Director of Demand
Facilitation for SpotX. He has spent the majority of his career in
television sales in Monroe, Shreveport and Baton Rouge.

Townsquare Media Inc. announced today that former SpotX Regional Director
Chris Tingle has joined the Company as as Market President/Chief Revenue Officer for its Texarkana local media cluster. In this role, he will drive Townsquare’s Local First strategy and content initiatives across East Texas and Arkansas. He will report to Townsquare Senior Vice President Todd
Lawley.

“Chris has a strong track record of success in both digital and broadcast, and he has a clear understanding of how to execute our multi-platform
“Local First” strategy. He brings a wealth of local and regional relationships and a reputation as a strong, strategic leader with him,” commented Mr. Lawley.

“Im truly honored to lead Townsquares iconic local media brands in the Texarkana market and to work with this dedicated and high performing team. Townsquare has a longstanding tradition of excellence in this community,
and I’m committed to carrying on that tradition for many years to come,” said Mr. Tingle.

Townsquare COO Local Media, Erik Hellum added, “After competing with Chris for many years, we decided we didn’t want to do that anymore and are so
glad he is joining our Company. We have a special team in Texarkana, and
with Chris’ combination of broadcast and digital experience, strong local
and regional relationships, and leadership ability, I am confident that
Chris is the right person to lead that team.”



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Growing Christian Foundation Acquires KNHK Spokane

Posted: 28 Jul 2021 04:46 PM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/211169/positive-life-radio-acquires-knhk-spokane/



Growing Christian Foundation has acquired Classic Country 104.5 Hank-FM
KNHK Newport/Spokane WA from Xana Oregon for $250,000.

Growing Christian Foundation owns multiple affiliates of Christian AC
Positive Life Radio: 89.9 KPLW Wenatchee, 91.1 KYPL Yakima, and three translators. The network is based at Walla Walla Universitys 91.3 KGTS
Walla Walla WA and also airs on signals in Northern Idaho, Northeast
Oregon, and Western Washington.

Xana Oregon closed on its $395,000 purchase of KNHK and Regional Mexican Ke Buena 95.7 1330 KYOZ/95.7 K239CL Spokane from Legend Broadcasting earlier
this month.

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