Auction 109 closes with 97 FM radio stations sold

August 6, 2021
The bidding ended August 5, 2021 for the 135 FM construction permits and 4 AM construction permits. The top five stations sold in the auction were: iHeartMedia's $6,146,000 bid for an FM station in Sacramento, CA, Radio Brands' bid for an FM station in Sanger TX just north of Dallas for $3,080,000, Nelson Rodriguez bid of $400,000 for an FM station in Pembroke, GA, ITM, LLC's bid for an FM station in Desert Hills, AZ that will cover Lake Havasu City, AZ for $266,000, and Eugene Cella's bid for an FM station in Fort Walton Beach, FL for $395,000. None of the four AM permits in the auction were sold but 97 FM permits did find buyers. Several of the remaining unsold permits may appear in a future auction but permits that were offered in previous auctions that failed to find bidders may likely get delete. Complete auction results can be found here.

FCC plans to auction 130 FM station permits in April 2020

October 11, 2019
The Federal Communications Commission announced plans to hold another auction for new FM construction permits commencing on April 28, 2020. The permits are spread far and wide across the United States but the vast majority of them are in rural and sparsely populated areas. A few gems exist like the FM permit for Sacramento, CA. The last FM auction was held in 2015.

FCC eliminates local studio requirements

October 25, 2017
The FCC voted yesterday to remove the requirement of radio and television stations to have a local studio in the community or within the coverage area of the station. The change comes as the FCC looks to simplify regulations and help smaller stations that do not have the resources to operate a fully staffed office better survive. As part of the change, all stations will soon be required to have their complete public file online. In addition the FCC will still require broadcasters to have a local telephone number in the community for listeners and viewers to contact the stations.

KLIV set to drop news after 30 years of the format

April 12, 2016
After 30 years as an all news station for the San Jose area, KLIV 1590 AM is set to drop the format. The station's owner, 94 year old Charles Herrold, said the format has been losing money for several years now and decided now was the time to cut his loses. He plans to flip the station to classic country within the next few weeks.

FCC's FM Auction 98 Ends

August 26, 2015
Auction 98 ended earlier this month after 51 rounds of bidding. In total 59 bidders won 102 stations. Together the permits sold for a combined $5,083,700 but was reduced to $4,121,140 after subtracting credits for first time buyers and buyers holding few than four stations. Prices ranged from $610 for a permit in Memphis, Texas to $714,000 for a permit in Westfield, New York by Erie Radio Company. Other notable sales include Iris Media's bid of $421,000 for a permit in Columbia, Missouri, and Alpha Media's bid of $408,000 Harper, Texas. 29 of the permits didn't receive any bids and many of those are likely to appear in a future FCC auction.