Randy Michaels has spent enough years shaking up the radio business that another station purchase with his name attached deserves a closer look. This time, his Radioactive LLC is acquiring Gospel-formatted 1320 WCVG and its 103.9 FM translator in the Cincinnati market for $110,000, adding another piece to a broadcasting operation that already includes one of the industry’s most entertaining sets of call letters.
And if you think Michaels is simply collecting radio stations for something to do on weekends, you probably haven’t followed his career very closely.
The agreement calls for Radioactive LLC to purchase WCVG Covington, Kentucky, and translator W280FW from Caleb Fosters’ Reign Enterprizes LLC. The station currently operates as a Gospel outlet serving the Cincinnati area.
The acquisition would give Michaels a second signal in the Cincinnati market, joining Oldies 97.7 WKRP-FM in Mason, Ohio.
Yes, WKRP.
For anyone who grew up watching the legendary television sitcom, those call letters still carry a little magic. And in the hands of a broadcaster like Michaels, they are more than just a clever nod to radio history.
Michaels also operates 94.5 WOXY in the Dayton area, giving him an additional presence in southwestern Ohio.
But the bigger story isn’t necessarily the $110,000 purchase price. It’s the continued activity of a veteran radio executive who has spent decades challenging conventional thinking about how stations should sound, operate and compete.
Michaels has held major leadership roles in American broadcasting, including at Jacor and Clear Channel, and his career has been marked by an appetite for experimentation. Love his approach or question it, there’s no denying that he has left a substantial imprint on the business.
Now comes the question everybody in Cincinnati radio should be asking.
What does Randy Michaels have planned for WCVG?
The station currently carries Gospel programming, and no format change has been established by the announced transaction. The purchase itself does not mean that programming will change.
Still, when an operator with Michaels’ history buys another signal, industry observers have good reason to watch what happens next.
At a time when much of the radio conversation revolves around consolidation, cost-cutting and companies looking to unload properties, it’s interesting to see a recognizable industry figure continuing to acquire broadcast facilities.
The transaction remains subject to the applicable regulatory approval process.
For now, Cincinnati gets another Randy Michaels radio story, WCVG gets a prospective new owner, and the industry gets another reason to keep an ear on southwestern Ohio.
Somewhere, Dr. Johnny Fever would probably approve.
And if Randy ever decides to put a turkey promotion together, somebody please make sure he remembers how that worked out the first time.
On The Dial covers breaking radio industry news, including layoffs, programming changes, talent moves, and broadcast trends across the United States.
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