Connoisseur Buys Bonneville San Francisco
• Connoisseur Media is expanding its considerable broadcast footprint into San Francisco, as the company just announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Bonneville’s San Francisco Bay Area stations: Urban AC 102.9 KBLX, Top 40 KMVQ (99.7 NOW), AC 96.5 KOIT, and Classic Rock KUFX (98.5 K-Fox)/San Jose. Connoisseur currently owns Hot AC KEZR & Country KBAY/San Jose as well as AC duo KUIC and KKIQ in the East Bay.
“San Francisco is a world-class media market, and these iconic stations are a perfect complement to our growing portfolio,” said Jeff Warshaw, Founder & CEO of Connoisseur Media. “We are excited to greatly expand our service to the Bay Area. Our goal is to have a real presence with local programming, local voices, and being a significant part of the community. That’s what defines us, and that’s what listeners and advertisers deserve.”
Bonneville International said that the sale reflects its strategy to invest in high-growth areas across radio, television, streaming, digital, and apps.
This acquisition marks a significant milestone in Connoisseur’s ongoing expansion, following its recently announced merger with Alpha Media and will bring the total number of stations to 220 in 48 markets upon completion. The transaction is pending FCC approval and is expected to close later this year.
The broker on the transaction was KALIL & Co., Inc. Connoisseur Media had legal representation by Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP, while Bonneville International was represented by Strong & Hanni.
