WUVA Inc., a student-owned media organization, has sold its commercial radio station 92.7 FM for $1.65 million to Saga Communications, Inc. The funds will be used to create an endowment to support WUVA’s newsgathering and reporting operations.
WUVA President Kailey Leinz, a fourth-year College student, said the organization plans to focus on the future of digital media. WUVA operates wuvanews.com.
“We realized that a lot of media is heading towards the digital format, so we made the decision to endow our future as a news organization and let go of the radio part,” Leinz said.
Although the sale itself happened quickly, with the initial contact beginning at the conclusion of the fall 2016 semester, WUVA members and the alumni board of directors have been planning such a decision for a while.
“We have been forming these long-term strategic goals for a while now, and this has been an ongoing discussion as we try to figure out the best way to serve students and try to keep our funding up so that we can still exist as an organization because we are not funded by the University,” Leinz said.
Saga Communications has markets across the country, and each market has its own name. In this case, the 92.7 FM station will be brought into the Charlottesville Radio Group’s portfolio of stations which already serves the sports, rock, news, alternative and contemporary genres.
“As the old saying goes, ‘If it ain’t broke don’t fix it,’ so we will look at every conceivable option that we have to ensure that we continue the programming on that radio station in a way that we feel it will best enhance our presence in the Charlottesville marketplace,” Jim Principi, Charlottesville Radio Group president and general manager, said. “This new station will give us an opportunity to serve our advertisers in front of an audience that we have not been able to service before.”
Under WUVA, 92.7 FM has undergone several transitions in terms of programming. For the past year the station broadcasted under NASH Icon, a national program that promotes classic and contemporary country music. Before this, the station had been a hip hop and R&B outlet for 17 years. It appears that Saga may seek to continue with a country music platform.
“In this case, a country product with a great signal completes Saga’s market portfolio,” station general manager David G. Mitchell said in an email statement. “I would expect a country continuance.”
The next step in the process is for the sale to be approved by the Federal Communications Commission.
“As soon as the proposed transfer is accepted for filing by the FCC, the details of the sale will be released on Public Notice followed by a 30-day period for public comment,” Mitchell said. “Potentially, the transaction can be expected to close early in the second quarter of 2017.”
WUVA will retain all rights to the WUVA trademark and all assets in relation to WUVA News.
Read More
Honor Committee plans Dorm Talks and finals week initiatives
By Lexie Stadler | YesterdayIn an effort to enhance student outreach and introduce incoming students to the Honor System, the Committee will reintroduce Dorm Talks in the Fall 2024 semester.
BREAKING: Two fraternities suspended, one terminated after hazing allegations
By Ford McCracken | 2 days agoThe University’s chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha is the founding chapter of the fraternity, which was founded in West Range room 47 in 1868.
From the archives: April 22 – April 28
By Maisy Callahan and Grace Franklin | 2 days agoThose opposed to the Mall feared closing Main St. would create inconvenience and traffic, which would in turn decrease the income made by merchants.
