FCC Approval Connoisseur Takes Over Alpha Media

The FCC’s Audio Division has approved the transfer of control of Alpha Media Licensee LLC from Alpha Media Holdings Inc. to Connoisseur Media Holdco, Inc., granting a waiver of the agency’s Local Radio Ownership Rule to allow the deal to proceed without requiring the sale of any stations in the Tyler-Longview, TX market.

The August 13 ruling covers Alpha’s five FM stations in the market — Adult Hits KOOI-FM/Jacksonville, KYKX Longview, Classic Country KKUS-FM/Tyler, Regional Mexican KOYE-FM/Frankston, and Rgional Mexican KTLH-FM/Hallsville — one more than normally allowed under the FCC’s AM/FM subcaps. The Commission said Alpha’s current ownership was “grandfathered” but that a transfer of control would typically trigger divestiture under Note 4 of the rule.

Connoisseur Media argued that the overage resulted from a market reclassification by BIA Advisory Services, which added KOYE and its simulcast partner KTLH to the Tyler-Longview market after Alpha had already been operating them. The company noted that KTLH generates no independent revenue and would likely be unprofitable if sold separately. Market data submitted from Borrell Associates and brokerage firm Bergner & Co. projected declining local radio ad revenue, further supporting the waiver request.

The FCC found no evidence that Alpha attempted to circumvent ownership rules and said the transfer would “maintain the pre-transaction status quo” since Connoisseur holds no other stations in the market. It also cited the market’s diversity, with 18 other owners, 29 formats, and multiple competitors with similar-sized clusters.

The waiver was granted solely for this transaction, allowing Alpha’s five FM stations to remain intact under Connoisseur’s control. The Commission dismissed as moot Alpha’s alternative application to place KTLH into a divestiture trust.