It has been announced that Hometown Broadcasting of Portsmouth has exercised an agreement to be purchased by Jackson County’s, Total Media Group, Inc. (TMG) for $1.25 million. The acquisition includes Fox Sports 1260 WNXT AM, WNXT – MIX 99.3 FM; The Breeze WZZZ 107.5 FM, and Fox Sports 95.7 FM. All four of the Portsmouth stations will join the growing TMG which currently holds nineteen other radio frequencies in Southeastern Ohio and West Virginia; totaling 23 frequencies.
According to TMG President, Cora Willett, “The purchase of the Portsmouth stations is a big step for us as we continue to create an elite local radio group that builds fun, service and a broader revenue range for advertisers. With the addition of Portsmouth, our radio coverage and other media advantages will be hard to beat.” Alan Stockmeister, majority owner of TMG stated “throughout the years, The Stockmeister family has invested energy and resources throughout Appalachia Ohio, including downtown Portsmouth. One of our assets is the 8 story PNC bank building at the corner of Chillicothe and Gallia Streets. The acquisition of the local Portsmouth radio stations is another investment by our family that will broaden our SE Ohio base where we will market local retail, education and industrial businesses while providing the community with news, weather, sports, job postings, legal adds, obituaries and emergency broadcasting. We want to continue to be a big part of this community. General Manager, Steve Hayes has assured us that we will continue to do just that!”
Bruce Leslie, owner and CEO of Hometown Broadcasting also agrees that the sale of the Portsmouth stations to TMG was the right thing to do. “We have spent almost thirty years building solid local equity with listeners and clients here in Portsmouth and it’s obvious that TMG is taking that same approach to local radio as we have. As the saying goes…there’s unity in strength, and we saw this as an opportunity for everyone to get much stronger.”
According to Portsmouth station General Manager Steve Hayes, “Under the leadership of Gary Mincer, VP & GM of TMG, we will work to just keep on doing what we are doing. TMG is certainly a company on the rise, and they bought us for who we are and what we have created. I’ve always looked at Hometown Broadcasting as a unique radio family and will continue to do so except that now; our family just got a little bigger! I am excited about this transition, and I look forward to working with this team!!
The four Portsmouth stations will now join the other TMG outlets serving Jackson, Chillicothe, Waverly, Piketon, Wellston, Mc Arthur, Athens, Gallipolis, Middleport /Pomeroy plus Point Pleasant, W.Va.
Until pending FCC approval is complete by sometime in mid-summer, The Portsmouth stations will remain under the ownership of Hometown Broadcasting of Portsmouth.
