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Urban One to Acquire KKDA and KRNB, Divest KZMJ

R

Ryan Williams

www.prnewswire.com

Urban One Announces Agreements to Acquire Dallas Radio Stations KKDA and KRNB and to Sell KZMJ

/PRNewswire/ -- Urban One has entered into an agreement to acquire Service Broadcasting Group, LLC, including its flagship radio stations KKDA and KRNB. Urban...
www.prnewswire.com www.prnewswire.com

More details to follow...


Hymen Childs (and family) is exiting broadcasting as Urban One bulks up in Dallas. This has been a very long time coming as once Radio One has tried to acquire the competition for years.

Buyer for 94.5 is Fuzion Dallas, LLC.

Lance has a story up now... Radio One To Acquire KKDA/KRNB Dallas; Sells KZMJ To Fuzion Dallas

So 94.5 is going Spanish-language Christian music. I would imagine Urban one will eventually do some optimizations as 97.9 and 104.5 are very similar. Perhaps Urban AC will one day land on a Cedar Hill signal.
 
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It was bound to happen at some point. Hymen Childs is 88 years old, and his kids wouldn't seem to have had any recent involvement in the company.

The timing of announcements like these, however, is always shocking.
 
Ryan Williams said:
So 94.5 is going Spanish-language Christian music. I would imagine Urban one will eventually do some optimizations as 97.9 and 104.5 are very similar. Perhaps Urban AC will one day land on a Cedar Hill signal.
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I would expect the same. Encouragement/KVNE has been shopping for a Dallas signal for Fuzion for quite a while. Word has it that prior to the EMF/Salem deal, they thought they would be getting 100.7 KWRD.
 
SHOCKER!!!!!

Will Urban one put the format of KRNB on 97.9 and move the KZMJ format to 105.7
 
Not really out of the blue, as we’ve speculated about this very scenario for many years on this board.

Rather surprised 94.5 didn’t wind up with Hope Media Group for Vida Unida, or go with Radio Nueva Vida.

Looks like Fuzion is in expansion mode. Been wondering if they might go after a Houston outlet.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
Rather surprised 94.5 didn’t wind up with Hope Media Group for Vida Unida, or go with Radio Nueva Vida.
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The surprise to me is that 94.5 was sold at all. With Urban One saying it was interested in expanding into general market radio, it would've had the opportunity to do general market programming on at least that station (if not one of the others, too).

If I were guessing, Urban One is paying a pretty penny for KKDA/KRNB and is probably getting a decent deal on 94.5 to offset some of the cost.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
Rather surprised 94.5 didn’t wind up with Hope Media Group for Vida Unida, or go with Radio Nueva Vida.
Click to expand...

The has to be a willing buyer. The stations are not free agents.

Mediafrog+ said:
Looks like Fuzion is in expansion mode. Been wondering if they might go after a Houston outlet.
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Fuzion and Vida Unida are very similar; its a niche and splitting it probably doesn't make much sense, when there are other places without this format.

Based on K-Love's more recent posture of wanting a presence in every market, regardless of whom is already there, it wouldn't be shocking if they tried to get RNV into all the heavily hispanic markets, like these in Texas.
 
Kent said:
The surprise to me is that 94.5 was sold at all. With Urban One saying it was interested in expanding into general market radio, it would've had the opportunity to do general market programming on at least that station (if not one of the others, too).
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The RO cluster in Houston is diverse, as it includes Country and Classic Rock.

Perhaps there is a longer game at play here, considering major consolidations may be on the way.
 
Not being an urban/R&B listener normally, would someone more wiser than I advise if KKDA-FM and KBFB are the same format? Cumulus has no problem running the same country format on both KPLX and KSCS (albeit with slightly different playlists). Would Radio One keep both stations intact, or should we expect a "spin of the Format Wheel" on 97.9 or 104.5 FM?
 
I'm not a P1 or even a regular listener, but I sample them occasionally. They are pretty close, but KKDA is more of a pure Urban and KBFB is slightly more in the direction of a Rhythmic CHR, but is Urban too. It's very close though. I think they are closer today than they were 15 years ago.
 
AlanB said:
Not being an urban/R&B listener normally, would someone more wiser than I advise if KKDA-FM and KBFB are the same format? Cumulus has no problem running the same country format on both KPLX and KSCS (albeit with slightly different playlists). Would Radio One keep both stations intact, or should we expect a "spin of the Format Wheel" on 97.9 or 104.5 FM?
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Whatever is going to happen, a urban AC station may get a Cedar Hill stick.
 
Thats the last of the locally owned commercial stations in DFW isnt it? I think every license is owned by a major company now, minus the non-coms and rimshots.
 
Hmmm, perhaps a “PRAISE” station will come soon. Also, iHeart may want a piece and try to launch an Urban stick bringing The Breakfast Club to town if K104/97.9 THE BEAT consolidates. Don’t mind me, I’m just speculating !
 
ShawtyBlack_ATL said:
Hmmm, perhaps a “PRAISE” station will come soon. Also, iHeart may want a piece and try to launch an Urban stick bringing The Breakfast Club to town if K104/97.9 THE BEAT consolidates. Don’t mind me, I’m just speculating !
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Fair points!

Might we see a flip at 97.1 despite the recent PD hire? At this point, I'd say that is improbable but certainly not impossible.
 
MarkW said:
Fair points!

Might we see a flip at 97.1 despite the recent PD hire? At this point, I'd say that is improbable but certainly not impossible.
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Isn't the new KEGL PD a rock/alternative music guy?
 


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