Centennial Broadcasting
Company type | Privately owned |
---|---|
Industry | Radio |
Genre | Radio broadcasting company |
Headquarters | , United States[1] |
Area served | Winchester, Virginia[2] Fredericksburg, Virginia[3] |
Key people | Allen B. Shaw (President/CEO)[4] |
Total assets | 1 FM station 2 AM stations[2][3] |
Website | Official website |
Centennial Broadcasting is a small market radio broadcasting company based in Clemmons, North Carolina.[1] The company is led by President and CEO Allen B. Shaw.[4] Shaw began his career in 1959, at the age of 15, at radio station WRWB in Kissimmee, Florida.[5]
History
[edit]1997-2000
[edit]Centennial purchased Las Vegas-based KQOL from American General Media for an undisclosed sum on May 13, 1997.[6] Two months later, on July 22, 1997, the company bought another Las Vegas station, KJUL, also for an undisclosed amount.[7] In March 1998, Sinclair Broadcast Group sold three New Orleans-based stations to the company for $16 million.[8] The stations included two FMs, WRNO-FM and KMEZ, and one AM, WBYU.[8] In April of the same year, Centennial purchased Las Vegas station KKLZ from Apogee Companies for $21 million.[9] The company sold all six of its stations to Beasley Broadcast Group in late 2000 for $113.5 Million.[10][11]
2004-Present
[edit]The company would re-enter the radio business, this time in Virginia, with the purchase of Lynchburg, Virginia-area stations WZZI (then at 101.5) and WZZU from Travis Media LLC on August 31, 2004 for $4.146 million.[12] In 2005, the company purchased WLNI from 3 Daughters Media for $4.4 million.[13] Centennial filed suit on 3 Daughters Media and owner Gary Burns in 2006 for violating a five-year non-compete agreement.[13] The case was heard in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia.[14] U.S. District Judge Norman Moon ruled 3 Daughters Media "could not operate a station with a Talk format until the five-year non-compete" had ended on August 4, 2006.[13][14] Burns appealed to United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which upheld the previous court's ruling.[13][15] In March 2005, Cumulus Media sold WBWR and translator W247AD-FM to Centennial for $1.9 million.[16][17] The deal closed in April of the same year.[18]
On May 17, 2007, Centennial announced it was buying WINC, WINC-FM, WWRT, and WWRE in Winchester and WBQB and WFVA in Fredericksburg from Mid-Atlantic Network Inc. for $36 million.[19] Later reports had the price of the sale at $35.972 million.[20] Shaw, commenting in a Winchester Star interview on the sale, said he had been considering buying the stations for several months.[19] The sale closed in August 2007.[19]
In April 2008, the company agreed to purchase four stations from Univision Radio in Albuquerque, New Mexico for $24 million.[21] The sale included stations KIOT, KJFA, KKRG, and KKSS.[21] For unknown reasons, the sale was never completed and the stations remain owned by Univision.[22]
On February 1, 2011, WVMP was sold to CityWorks Community Broadcasting LLC for $500,000.[12] Centennial sold WZZU and WZZI (now on 106.9 MHz), then airing an Active Rock format, to WVJT, LLC. for $523,000 on August 27, 2012.[23][24] Mel Wheeler Inc. purchased W247AD-FM from Centennial for $75,000 on April 4, 2012.[25] A year later, Centennial sold WLNI to Mel Wheeler Inc. on January 12, 2013 for $1.025 million.[26] That sale was delayed due to a "petition to deny" filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).[27] Gary Burns, owner of 3 Daughters Media, contented the sale would give Mel Wheeler Inc. control of too many stations in one market.[27][28] The FCC disagreed and denied the "petition to deny" in August 2013.[27][29]
On October 6, 2020, Centennial sold WINC-FM operating on 92.5 MHz from Winchester, Virginia, to Educational Media Foundation (EMF) for $1.75 million.[30] WINC-FM's existing music programming moved to the co-owned WXBN (105.5 FM) and WZFC (104.9 FM) ahead of the sale;, and Centennial retained the rights to the WINC callsign and branding.[31] On December 29, 2020, after the sale of the 92.5 FM channel closed, Centennial transferred the WINC-FM callsign to 105.5 MHz.[32] WZFC continued to simulcast WINC-FM's programming.
Stations
[edit]Centennial Broadcasting currently owns and operates two stations in Fredericksburg, Virginia:[2][3]
Fredericksburg
[edit]Call sign | Frequency | Format | Website | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|
WBQB | 101.5 FM | Adult contemporary | www | [33] |
WFVA | 1230 AM | News/talk/sports | www | [34] |
Formerly owned stations
[edit]Call sign | Frequency | City of license | Years owned | Current status |
---|---|---|---|---|
KSTJ | 102.7 FM | Las Vegas, Nevada | 1997–2000 | KVGS, owned by Beasley Broadcast Group |
KJUL | 104.3 FM | Las Vegas, Nevada | 1997–2000 | KFRH, owned by VCY America |
WRNO-FM | 99.5 FM | New Orleans, Louisiana | 1998–2000 | Owned by iHeartMedia |
KMEZ | 106.7 FM | New Orleans, Louisiana | 1998–2000 | Owned by Cumulus Media |
WBYU | 1450 AM | New Orleans, Louisiana | 1998–2000 | Defunct, license cancelled in 2012 |
WZZI | 101.5 FM | Roanoke, Virginia | 2004–2011 | WVMP, owned by WVJT, LLC |
WZZU | 97.9 FM | Lynchburg, Virginia | 2004–2012 | Owned by WVJT, LLC |
WLNI | 105.9 FM | Lynchburg, Virginia | 2005–2012 | Owned by James River Media, LLC |
WBWR | 106.9 FM | Bedford, Virginia | 2005–2012 | WLGX, owned by WVJT, LLC |
WINC | 1400 AM | Winchester, Virginia | 2007–2021 | Owned by Colonial Radio Group[35] |
WINC-FM | 92.5 FM | Winchester, Virginia | 2007–2020 | WAIW, owned by Educational Media Foundation |
WXBN | 105.5 FM | Winchester, Virginia | 2007–2021 | WINC-FM, owned by Euclid Avenue Properties |
WZFC | 104.9 FM | Winchester, Virginia | 2007–2021 | WVRX, owned by Point FM Ministries |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Centennial Broadcasting". Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Virginia Association of Broadcasters - Member Details". Virginia Association of Broadcasters. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Virginia Association of Broadcasters - Member Details". Virginia Association of Broadcasters. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ a b "Allen B. Shaw". MarketWatch. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ "RadioYears.com - Allen B. Shaw". RadioYears.com. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ "Assignment of License" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission, audio division. May 13, 1997. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 14, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ "Assignment of License" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission, audio division. July 22, 1997. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 14, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ a b "Sinclair to divest certain New Orleans radio stations to Centennial Broadcasting". Baltimore Business Journal. Baltimore, Maryland. March 19, 1998. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ "Apogee sells radio station". Portland Business Journal. Portland, Oregon. April 13, 1998. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ "Beasley renegotiates deal". Las Vegas Sun. Las Vegas, Nevada. December 18, 2000. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ "Beasley Broadcast Group Renegotiates Acquisition of Six Radio Stations From Centennial Broadcasting; Revised Purchase Consideration Totals $113.5 Million". Business Wire. San Francisco, California. December 13, 2000. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ a b "New owner coming to Roanoke alternative outlet". Streamline RBR, Inc. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Court Rules Against [WBLT] Flip To Talk". All Access Music Group. November 19, 2007. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ a b Centennial Broadcasting, LLC v. Gary E. Burns and 3 Daughters Media, Inc. (United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia November 16, 2007), Text.
- ^ Centennial Broadcasting, LLC v. Gary E. Burns; 3 Daughters Media, Incorporated (United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit August 4, 2006), Text.
- ^ "Deals - Broadcasting & Cable". NewBay Media, LLC. April 17, 2005. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. April 4, 2005. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ "Asset Purchase Agreement". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. March 31, 2005. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ a b c Mangino, Stephanie M. (May 17, 2007). "SOLD! $26M for WINC's corporate parent". Winchester Star. Winchester, Virginia. pp. A1, A8. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ^ Carnegie, Jim (May 31, 2007). "RBR's Daily Morning Epaper – Transactions". Radio Business Report. Lake Ridge, Virginia. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ^ a b Kamerick, Megan (March 16, 2008). "Radio veteran with NM ties buys local Univision stations". Albuquerque Business First. Albuquerque, New Mexico. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ "Annual EEO Public File Report". Univision Radio. May 31, 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-07-02. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ "Centennial Sells Virginia FM Simulcast". All Access Music Group. August 27, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ "Robinson expands in Roanoke-Lynchburg market". Streamline RBR, Inc. August 27, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ Venta, Lance (April 4, 2012). "Translator Report 4/4". RadioBB Networks. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ "Wheeler applies to expand western Virginia radio cluster". Streamline RBR, Inc. January 12, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ a b c "FCC Rejects 3 Daughters Media Challenge To WLNI Deal". All Access Music Group. August 22, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ "ESPNinVA". Three Daughters Media. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ "Media Bureau Grants WLNI (FM), Lynchburg, VA Assignment Application". Federal Communications Commission, media division. August 22, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ Venta, Lance (October 8, 2020). "Educational Media Foundation Acquires WINC-FM". RadioInsight/RadioBB Networks. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ Venta, Lance (November 17, 2020). "WINC-FM Begins Frequency Move Ahead Of EMF Sale". RadioInsight/RadioBB Networks. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ "Call Sign History". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
- ^ "FCC public file (WBQB)". Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ "FCC public file (WFVA)". Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ "FCC public file (WINC)". Retrieved April 13, 2021.