Update 12/6: The Randy Michaels led Merlin Media, not CBS has acquired WKDN from Family Radio.
Update 11/16: CBS has acquired 107.9 WFSI from Family Radio. No word yet on the status of WKDN.
Original Report 10/26:
Rumor Insight: Buried in a story about the retirement of Family Stations Inc. head Harold Camping after his two false rapture predictions and a stroke, The Christian Post is reporting that Family Radio has a tentative deal in place to sell 106.9 WKDN Camden, NJ and 107.9 WFSI Annapolis, MD to CBS.
We’ve known that the two stations have been on the market since this summer when Family Stations applied to convert the two from non-commercial status back to commercial. There had been plenty of rumored suitors for the pair, but due to a history of deals between the companies dating back to the 1970’s CBS had been considered one of the favorites.
The Christian Post has been covering the chaos at Family Radio in detail over the past year with access to some inside information from the Camping camp. When and if the deal will be announced is still anybody’s guess.
WKDN is licensed to Camden, NJ right over the Delaware River from downtown Philadelphia. It’s transmitter site and groundwork are in need of upgrading. It would make a likely simulcast partner for CBS’ market leading All-News 1060 KYW.
WFSI, licensed to Annapolis, MD covers the affluent suburban areas in between Baltimore and Washington DC as well as both cities itself. Its signal is affected in southern and western portions of the Washington metro by Hubbard’s 107.7 WWWT-FM, which simulcasts 103.5 WTOP. If CBS wished to create a simulcast that covered all of the Washington market along with most of Baltimore, a pairing with 106.7 WJFK would do the trick. CBS owns another signal with similar coverage in 99.1 WLZL, which is niched to serve Washington’s Latino population. In the 1990’s as Modern Rock WHFS, the station registered high ratings in both markets.
Assuming this story is true, I can actually see CBS simulcasting their other two Philadelphia-area AM stations on FM (WIP-610 has been simulcast on FM for a few weeks now): KYW on either 106.9 or 98.1, and WPHT on the other (Yes, I’m convinced CBS will “blow-up” WOGL-98.1 soon, perhaps run automated Christmas music starting in early November, and after Christmas, start the simulcast.
WOGL is going nowhere in the near future.
If you can “see” that, you need an eye exam.