Home Login RADIO ONLINE RSS Facebook
Advertisement

Civic Media Expands into Michigan's Upper Peninsula


Civic Media
Civic Media

Civic Media has announced a major expansion into Michigan's Upper Peninsula through an asset purchase agreement filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to acquire five radio stations from J&J Broadcasting, based in Iron River, WI. The acquisition will be completed under the newly-formed Michigan Civic Media Alliance, a venture led by Civic Media with investment support from the Michigan Independent Media Group (MIMG).

The stations involved in the deal include Country WJMS (590/92.1) and Classic Rock WIMI (99.7) in Ironwood, MI; Country WUPY (101.1) in Ontonagon, MI; and Adult Hits WKMJ (Mix 93.5) and News/Talk & Sports WMPL (920/107.7) in Hancock-Houghton, MI.

"These heritage radio stations have served their local communities for years and are strong partners with local businesses and organizations," said Civic Media Vice President of Operations Kory Hartmann. "We intend to continue that legacy of service and add a wider array of products to keep people in touch with their community."

Civic Media CEO Sage Weil emphasized the organization's mission to invest in underserved markets: "At Civic Media we believe in the importance of local media, and investing in rural areas where quality news and information is too often hard to come by. We are excited by this opportunity to expand our network into the upper peninsula."

Jason Franklin, General Partner at MIMG, added, "MIMG's launch was inspired in part by Civic Media's leadership in sustaining independent media in Wisconsin. We're excited to be formally partnering with them for their first expansion into the great state of Michigan and to work with them to preserve and expand vibrant local media across our state."

Outgoing owner Jerry Hackman, President of J&J Broadcasting, reflected on the sale: "We are very pleased to announce the sale of the stations, and we could not be more pleased with the buyer. We are very comfortable turning over the customer and employee relationships over to Civic Media as they continue to stress the importance of local and small town radio. I'd like to sincerely thank everyone that has supported us in various ways over the last 42 years."

Upon regulatory approval, Civic Media will own and operate a total of 30 stations across three states: 23 in Wisconsin, two in northern Minnesota, and five in Michigan.

Advertisement

Latest Radio Stories

Poll: Strong Bipartisan Support for Public Radio Funding
National Public Radio (NPR)
National Public Radio (NPR)
A new national poll conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of NPR finds that two-thirds of Americans support continued federal funding for public radio, with broad bipartisan approval and high levels of trust in public radio's role in emergency communication and community service. More

Bruce Logan Returns to Audacy Houston as VP/P
Bruce Logan
Bruce Logan
Veteran radio programmer Bruce Logan has reported rejoined Audacy Houston as Vice President of Programming and Program Director for Country KILT-FM (100.3 The Bull). While the company has not yet made an official announcement, the move marks a return to familiar territory for Logan, who previously held the More

Red Apple Media Appoints Bert Goldman as CTO
Bert Goldman
Bert Goldman
Red Apple Media names veteran broadcast engineer Bert Goldman as its new Chief Technology Officer. He brings more than 50 years of radio engineering experience to the role, with a deep background in station construction, facility upgrades, signal optimization, and regulatory compliance. Goldman has More
Advertisement

Chris Fillar Joins WWJ Newsradio 950 as Morning Co-Anchor
Chris Fillar
Chris Fillar
Audacy names Chris Fillar as the new morning co-anchor on WWJ-AM (WWJ Newsradio 950) in Detroit. Fillar steps into the role alongside Jackie Paige, with the duo now leading weekday broadcasts from 5-10am ET. Fillar, who has delivered sports updates on WWJ and sister WXYT-FM (97.1 The Ticket) since 2018, More

Anna & Raven Show Expands to Montgomery and Columbia
Anna & Raven Show
Anna & Raven Show
Syndicated Anna & Raven Show continues its rapid growth, adding two major Southern markets to its expanding list of affiliates. Beginning this week, the morning program will now be heard on WMXS (Mix 103.3) in Montgomery, AL and WARQ (Live 93.5) in Columbia, SC. The show is now carried in more than 75 More

SiriusXM Adds Low-Cost, Ad-Supported Subscription Plan
SiriusXM
SiriusXM
SiriusXM has unveiled SiriusXM Play, a new low-cost, ad-supported subscription package aimed at attracting more price-sensitive consumers and expanding its reach across North America. Priced at under $7 per month, the new plan offers access to more than 130 curated music, talk, and More

Return to Menu

Advertisement

Subscribe to our Newsletter
Radio news and headlines delivered right to your e-mail box -- and it's free.

Advertisement

Advertisement