Moecker Auctions will hold a sealed bid auction of 96.5 WJTK Columbia City/Lake City FL on June 26.

WJTK has been silent since October 2018 when the station was transferred to receiver Mark Healy via court order after Newman Broadcasting defaulted on a loan just under $1.6 million from Columbia Bank. Included in the auction will be the station’s license, transmitter, and antenna but no studio space or transmitter lease as those facilities are still held by Newman.

Cesta Newman’s Newman Broadcasting won what became WJTK in an FCC auction in 2006. However the FCC filed suit against Newman for the $910,700 in new entrant credits she received because she hid the fact that she was part of her late husband’s Newman Media that owned AC “Mix 94.3” WNFB and Country “The Falcon” 1340 WDSR/95.9 W240DU Lake City. She and the FCC settled that dispute last year.

Full information for those interested in bidding is available here.

Certain assets of WJTK 96.5 FM “The Jet” News/Talk format, which primarily serves the Lake City area in Columbia County (I-75 & I-10 intersection corridor between Jacksonville and Tallahassee), are being marketed for sale as part of a receivership case, Newman Broadcasting, Inc., filed on September 20, 2018 in the Circuit Court of the Third Judicial Circuit, in and for Columbia County, FL, Case #2017-CA-00100, appointing Mark Healy as Receiver.  Moecker Auctions, Inc. is currently seeking sealed bids for the bulk lot.

Originally purchased in 2006 for over $2 million, the package of assets includes a Non-Directional Antenna (Antenna Make/Model: Propagation System Inc. PSIFMR-3-HWS, 3 section, 0.5 wavelength spaced); FCC License; Nautel V10 Totally solid state 10KW broadcast Transmitter, desktop computers, computer peripherals and related equipment. The station is currently under SSTA.  Not included in the sale are studio space and tower lease.  In the event bidder is interested in leasing space/tower, bidder must contact tower lease manager to negotiate terms with Lessor prior to auction ending (contact info available upon request). It is not necessary to contact the tower lease manager if the bidder is planning to relocate the antenna/equipment. Interested parties should submit formal bids no later than 11 a.m. on June 26, 2019 to erodriguez@moeckerauctions.com. The bidding package and terms are available at The Jet .