WZUM sold
June 17, 2009
Sovereign City Radio Services LLC has filed with the FCC to sell WZUM-AM (1590) to Dr. Katrina L. Chase of Chesapeke, Virginia. Chase does business as Believe & Achieve Family Educational Center Inc. The deal was made for $800,000. The deal includes an LMA dated June 9 between the two companies to run gospel music.
According to Patrick Cloonan’s McKeesport Daily News article (not online) Dr. Chase has a stake in three other stations in Virginia, Louisiana and South Carolina.
The last local owner of WZUM, Michael Horvath, sold the station to Starboard Media Foundation in 2005. It was Starboard who operated the Relevant Radio Catholic network and put it on the air at 1590. In October 2008, Sovereign City took the station over in a deal and resell it. Both Starboard and Sovereign City had been founded by Mark Follett.
The Relevant Radio format was taken off of WZUM in May 2009 and a deal was in the works with Delmarva Educational Foundation, but Delmarva pulled out. Enter Dr. Chase who apparently will continue with the gospel format.
