Connoisseur Media is selling the 94.5 FM signal licensed to Gilroy, California, to Christian broadcaster K-Love, Inc. for $2 million, a transaction that allows the company to monetize the frequency while keeping its Bay Country format and brand intact. This deal matters to radio programmers and rights holders because it demonstrates a strategic divestiture model where a station’s intellectual property and format remain separate from its transmission facility, ensuring continuity for the audience despite the change in signal ownership.
Strategic Portfolio Refinement
The sale represents a key step in Connoisseur Media’s ongoing effort to refine its Bay Area portfolio following its merger with Alpha Media in September 2025 and its acquisition of Bonneville International’s San Francisco cluster in May 2026. The company added KOIT, KBLX, KMVQ, and KUFX to its holdings during that purchase, which required an FCC waiver of the Local Radio Ownership Rule because the combined entities would have exceeded the nine-FM cap in the San Francisco market. The FCC granted that waiver on March 30 after Connoisseur argued the combination would have minimal market impact, citing revenue shares that still trailed iHeartMedia and Audacy in the region.
This new transaction differs significantly because only the signal changes hands. Connoisseur will retain the KBAY-FM call letters, intellectual property, and the current operation of the country format. The company explicitly stated that the sale does not include the operation of the format or its flagship San Jose station, KEZR-FM (Mix 106.5). Jeff Warshaw, Founder and CEO of Connoisseur Media, noted that K-Love approached the company to expand its Christian offerings in the San Jose market with the 94.5 FM frequency, and Connoisseur found a way to facilitate that expansion while retaining its country format.
Transaction Details and Future Outlook
The 94.5 MHz facility, which covers the southern stretch of the San Francisco Bay Area, is being transferred to K-Love, Inc. for $2 million. K-Love already operates at 95.3 in the San Jose market and plans to use this acquired frequency to strengthen its Christian radio presence in the region. The transaction is pending standard FCC approval and is expected to close in early fall of 2026.
Michael Bergner of Bergner & Co. served as the exclusive broker for the deal, while Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP provided legal representation for Connoisseur Media. While the signal ownership transfers, the company has not yet detailed where or how the KBAY country format will continue broadcasting after the frequency changes hands. K-Love has also not released specific programming plans beyond the anticipated closing timeline. This arrangement highlights Connoisseur’s continued effort to reshape its Bay Area portfolio and could foreshadow additional strategic moves in the market as the company seeks to best utilize its assets in priority regions.
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