7/26/87-KUBE sale could be year’s biggest station deal

VICTOR STREDICKE – July 26, 1987
Seattle radio station KUBE is among 11 stations scheduled to be sold to a partnership of Alaska and New York investors. The new owners will be Whitcom Partners, a New York investment firm, and Cook Inlet Region, Inc. CIRI is a corporation formed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 to manage assets of Alaska natives. The 11 stations currently are owned by First Media Corp., broadcast division of the Marriott hotel family.

KUBE, 93.3 mHz., was introduced to Seattle in 1981. It generally is rated as Seattle’s top music station, based on figures by the ratings company Birch Radio. Other First Media stations are in such cities as Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Houston, Chicago and Boston.

A radio trade journal, relying only on an unnamed industry analyst, said the sales price is likely to be $180 million. That would make the transfer the biggest deal of the year, and certainly the largest broadcast deal involving a Seattle property. (An unsubstantiated Seattle rumor has it at $140 million. CIRI’s chief executive officer, in Anchorage, did not return phone calls.)

KUBE’s morning-personality team is Charlie Brown and Ty Flint.

Michael O’Shea is general manager.

“We have met representatives of the new ownership,” O’Shea said. “It’s clear they intend to continue KUBE just as it is.”

CIRI manages 2.5 million acres of land and gas and oil rights in Alaska and has real-estate investments in the lower-48. A division, Cook Inlet Communications, recently acquired a TV station in New Haven, Conn., for $170 million.

Station sales are subject to Federal Communications Commission approval and generally take four to six months.

New AM stereo

KING-AM, 1090 kHz., is the fourth Seattle station to offer AM stereo. The station is using the Motorola QS system.

That means if you want your news in stereo, you can hear it in your new General Motors automobile, at the very least.

Twisting the dial

Johnny Cash has been signed as the headline performer at the free KMPS listener picnic Aug. 9. . . . Bob Powers is new general manager of KZOK-KJET; he previously was general manager of KCMS and KCIS. . . . KING-AM’s weekend changes include the dumping of the Dennis Nettles talk show in favor of Jim Althoff repeats and a new 6 p.m. nationwide sports-talk show with Bob Costas, the television sportscaster. . . . Jerry Mason was dropped as afternoon announcer at KIXI-AM; the station is using Satellite Music Network programming in all day parts except morning drive. . . . Once a month, the Thursday-night segment of “Loveline” on KMPS-AM-FM, on 1300 and 94.1, will include a vignette about singles and love emotions, from Intiman Theater productions; next one is 9 p.m. Aug. 13. . . . The very familiar voice added recently to the morning show on KISW, 99.9 mHz, is Bill Wendell, announcer for network TV shows, including the David Letterman Show; in years past, KISW similarly has used voice tracks prepared by Don Pardo, another New York network announcer.