Beasley Selling Ft. Myers Stations

• Against the backdrop of last week’s personnel downsizing in Boston, Philadelphia and New Jersey comes word that Beasley has cut an $18 million deal to spin off its five-station group in Ft. Myers, an hour north of its home market of Naples.

CEO Caroline Beasley used the opening moments of the company’s second quarter earnings call to announce that ESPN affiliate 770 WBCN-AM, Soft AC WJPT-FM, and Tropical WWCN-FM are being sold to an unnamed party for $9 million, while Mainstream Rock WRXK and Top 40 WXKB are earmarked for a separate buyer for $9 million, pending FCC approval.

This latest pending transaction follows last month’s announcement that Beasley has entered into a definitive agreement to sell Classic Rock WPBB (98.7 The Shark)/Tampa to Educational Media Foundation (EMF) for $8 million. EMF plans to install its Contemporary Christian K-LOVE format onto the frequency when the sale closes.