Magnum Media has released more details about its new LaCrosse cluster including one more format change in the market.

• 97.9 K250AZ La Crosse assumed the Adult CHR “Magic” branding that had been on 104.9 WLXR-FM but has shifted to AC to differentiate it from co-owned Hot AC “Mix 96.1/107.3” WXYM/W297CT. K250AZ is now being fed via 102.7 KQEG-HD2.
• 100.1 WKBH-FM West Salem flipped from Classic Rock to EMF’s Christian AC “K-Love” as WLCW.
• 102.7 KQEG La Crescent MN dropped Soft Oldies “102.7 MeTV-FM” to assume the WKBH Classic Rock brand and call letters with a shift to a Classic Hits/Classic Rock hybrid format.
• 104.9 WLXR-FM La Crosse picked up Salvation Poem Foundation Christian “Prayz Network” that had been on 97.9 K250AZ with new WGSL call letters pending.
• Talk 1490 WLFM La Crosse flipped on Sunday to Oldies as “Eagle 1490“, resurrecting the branding that had been heard on 102.7 KQEG until its July 2019 flip to “MeTV-FM“. WLFN will also acquired the WLXR call letters which were previously on 1490 from 1983-1988.

Magnum.Media has closed on its acquisition of 106.3 WQCC-FM, 102.7 KQEG-FM, 1490-AM WLFN from Mississippi Valley Broadcasters, LLC and FM Translator 97.9 from The Salvation Poem Foundation. The quartet joins Magnum’s other La Crosse Market Radio stations 96.1 WXYM-FM which is re-broadcasted on FM Translator 107.3, 94.5 WTMB-FM, 1460 WBOG-AM which is re-broadcasted on FM Translator 101.3. Magnum also operates KQEG-TV in La Crosse which, after the digital re-pack is complete, is slated to be simulcast on Channel 35 Tomah-Sparta and Channel 18 Eau Claire.

Reid Magnum stated, “Our La Crosse stations expansion is the second of two different clusters that we committed to before the pandemic. My Dad has worked with the very same bank, and same CPA firm, since he and my Mom started from scratch in 1991. Those long-standing loyalties sure came in handy to close on purchases during a pandemic. We got both clusters closed in the nick of time before Wisconsin went into the License Renewal period. If we hadn’t, we would’ve had to wait until November at the earliest.

According to Dave Magnum, right after the stations changed hands on Friday, Magnum Group Director of Engineering Chris Tarr activated a number of format changes which were completed by Tarr’s team late Saturday night.

The Classic Rock format that had been on 100.1 WKBH-FM has been moved to 102.7 KQEG-FM and musically altered by Ty Magnum into a Classic Rock/Classic Hits hybrid.

What had been a Hot Adult Contemporary format on 104.9 WLXR was softened to Adult Contemporary and moved to an HD-2 channel which is being re-broadcasted on FM Translator 97.9 retaining the “Magic” moniker.

On 1490 AM Magnum dropped syndicated Talk and brought back the Oldies format branded in La Crosse for decades as “The Eagle.”

Hot Country outlet 106.3 WQCC-FM was not altered.

Tarr said, “When I joined Magnum, they had 16 Radio stations and 3 TV stations. Within a month and a half of my start date, it was announced we were purchasing six more full powers and two translators. Dave said he’s half expecting to get a call from my agent saying he wants to renegotiate my contract!”

KALIL & CO., INC. was the exclusive broker for this transaction.

Original Report 8/1: The closing of Mississippi Valley Broadcasters sale of its La Crosse WI group to three operators has led to programming changes on four frequencies in the market today.

The deal saw Magnum Media pay $1.4 million for 102.7 KQEG, 106.3 WQCC, and 1490 WLFN and $5,000 to The Salvation Poem Foundation for 97.9 K250AZ. Salvation Poem Foundation itself bought 104.9 WLXR-FM for $300,000, while Educational Media Foundation acquired 100.1 WKBH-FM for $400,000. The intellectual property for the latter two also moved to Magnum.

That led to the following shuffle.

• 97.9 K250AZ La Crosse assumed the Adult CHR “Magic” format that had been on 104.9 WLXR-FM. K250AZ is now being fed via 102.7 KQEG-HD2.
• 100.1 WKBH-FM West Salem flipped from Classic Rock to EMF’s Christian AC “K-Love” as WLCW.
• 102.7 KQEG La Crescent MN dropped Soft Oldies “102.7 MeTV-FM” to assume the WKBH Classic Rock format.
• 104.9 WLXR-FM La Crosse picked up Salvation Poem Foundation Christian “Prayz Network” that had been on 97.9 K250AZ with new WGSL call letters pending.

Country “Kicks 106.3” WQCC La Crosse, and Conservative Talk 1490 WLFN La Crosse retain their format although 1490 will pick up the WLXR calls from 104.9. Those stations join Magnum’s existing holdings of Hot AC “Mix 96.1/107.3” WXYM/W297CT and low-power television station KQEG-CD in La Cross plus Classic Rock 94.5 WTMB and Classic Country 1460 WBOG in nearby Tomah/Sparta that count as part of the La Crosse market.