In a deal not yet filed with the FCC, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has assumed full ownership of Ozark Mountain Media Group’s five stations in Branson MO and Harrison AR.
Huckabee will be acquiring the 51% stake in the company previously held by Paul and Libby Coates. Their company had purchased the stations from Earls Family Broadcasting in October 2017 for $6.5 million. The cluster includes Hot AC “My 100.1” KOMC-FM Kimberling City, Country “102.9 The Z” KHBZ Harrison AR, Classic Country 106.3 KRZK Branson, Classic Country “Bootz 94.9” 900 KHOZ/94.9 K235CE Harrison AR, and Classic Hits 1220 KCAX/98.1 K251BZ Branson. Also included is local news site HometownDailyNews.com.
Huckabee has also announced a consulting agreement with Steve Willoughby’s Willoughby Communications to manage the stations. Willoughby spent 30 years in the cluster under Earls ownership including hosting mornings on KRZK from 1994 until 2016 and working in sales and marketing.
Huckabee and Coates also own two AMs in Texas and a four station cluster in Pine Bluff AR. No word on the status of those.
Ozark Mountain Media announced an organizational change today that will impact five radio stations in the Branson, Missouri and Harrison, Arkansas region. Mike Huckabee has assumed full ownership of the media organization that operates KCAX-AM/FM, KHBZ-FM, KHOZ-AM/FM, KOMC-FM, and KRZK-FM. The company, formerly Earls Family Broadcasting, was acquired by Huckabee and a partner in June 2018. All transactions are finalized pending FCC approval.
Mike Huckabee served as the 44th governor of Arkansas, was a candidate in the United States Republican presidential primaries twice and is an ordained Southern Baptist minister. He is the host of the television talk show Huckabee, has hosted a daily radio program, The Mike Huckabee Show, is the author of several best-selling books, a musician, and a public speaker.
“I hail from Hope Arkansas and have had a long-time affection for radio broadcasting and the Ozarks region,” explained Huckabee, “so this acquisition and deeper engagement is a good fit for me. I’m proud to be associated with the people and businesses in this area and look forward to contributing to the region’s success.”
Along with this organizational change, Willoughby Communications has been engaged for consulting services and principal Steve Willoughby, will serve as the company’s new General Manager. Willoughby has more than 30 years of experience in media sales, management and programming in the Ozarks region.
“We will give audiences the content they want while providing advertisers with an efficient and effective way to share their story and reach potential customers,” stated Willoughby. “Our core team is solid. We will honor our relationships in the community and build on a long history, while evolving for the new era of broadcast and digital communications.”
