OXFORD, Ala. — The Federal Communications Commission has approved Broadway Communications LLC’s purchase of WVOK-FM 97.9 and WTAZ 1580 from Woodard Broadcasting Company Inc.
The FCC granted the paired assignment applications on November 3. The lead FCC application covers full-power WVOK-FM, licensed to Ohatchee, and links the companion WTAZ authorization, licensed to Oxford.
The reported purchase price is $800,635.20, according to the Alabama Broadcast Media Page, which corrected an earlier figure after reviewing the transaction. FCC approval clears the regulatory step but does not complete the sale. No consummation notice was available in the Commission’s public records reviewed November 6, so Woodard remains the licensee until the parties close and notify the agency.
Broadway Communications currently holds WOTM-LD, a low-power television station serving the Birmingham area, and has applied for a new low-power television facility in Oxford. The radio acquisition would take Broadway from no full-power radio licenses to two. Woodard’s FCC ownership record lists WVOK-FM and WTAZ as its two current full-power radio authorizations, so closing would remove both from the company’s radio portfolio.
WVOK-FM is a Class C3 facility operating with 2.2 kilowatts at 97.9 MHz. WTAZ operates at 1580 kHz with 2.5 kilowatts daytime and 22 watts at night. The stations serve the Oxford–Anniston area of northeast Alabama.
The next reportable step is consummation. Until the FCC accepts that notice, the deal should be treated as approved but pending, and RNN’s ownership database should continue to list Woodard Broadcasting as legal licensee.
Related: FCC Approves Hoffmann’s $20 Million Purchase of Audacy’s St. Louis Radio Cluster.