Alpha Media adds Fredericksburg Cluster
PRESS RELEASE
January 23, 2015
Free Lance_Star Publishing LLC announced Friday that it is selling its four radio stations to Alpha Media of Portland, Ore.
Alpha has agreed to purchase WFLS_FM, WNTX_AM, WVBX_FM and WWUZ_FM, pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Sandton Partners, which purchased The Free Lance_Star in a bankruptcy auction in June, announced late last year that it would sell the Fredericksburg-area stations after being directed by the FCC to divest itself of either the newspaper or its Star Radio Group holdings. _We are proud to have been owners of the Free Lance-Star radio properties,_ said Robert Orr, managing director for the company.
_The transaction with Alpha Media gives us great comfort in knowing that the stations will be in very capable hands, and that listeners in the Fredericksburg area will continue to benefit from the excellent entertainment and news programming that they have come to expect from us._ Free Lance_Star and Star Radio Group Chief Executive Officer Gene Carr said Alpha has agreed to keep all employees of the stations, which will continue to operate from the FLS building on Amelia Street. _The staff are an integral part of serving the listeners and advertisers of the Fredericksburg region; I am pleased that the entire staff will be offered employment with Alpha Media,_ Carr said.
_We will continue to operate the Star Radio Group until FCC approvals have been finalized and we look forward to seeing the continued growth of these radio stations,_ he added. _Alpha Media has an excellent reputation in the industry._
When completed, the deal will give Alpha a total of 93 radio stations across the country. _Fredericksburg is a thriving place that continues to grow. It will be a nice addition to our East Coast footprint,_ said Alpha Media Chairman Larry Wilson. _I feel privileged to be able to get into that market and work with the great people there._
In addition to the radio stations; Alpha Media owns the digital media and marketing company Xapsis in Peoria, Ill., and two performance venues, Bing Lounge in Portland, Ore., and Alamo Lounge in San Antonio, Texas.
George Reed of Media Services Group brokered the deal.