Chicago Area Radio: Digity Media Closes On 9 Stations

Dean Goodman

The NextMedia-owned radio stations officially have a new owner. Digity, LLC, which was created by West Palm Beach, Florida-based radio/television executive Dean Goodman, has taken over control of all 33 of the radio stations owned nationwide by NextMedia, including its nine suburban Chicago stations.

According to CRM, the transaction closed Monday morning for the price of $84,975,200. The sale, first announced last October, brings an end to NextMedia's nearly 15 years as a radio station owner/operator.

Digity now owns and operates the following suburban Chicago radio stations:

• WERV-FM/95.9 The River - Classic Rock
• WRXQ-FM/Q Rock 100.7 - Rock/Classic Rock
• WCCQ-FM/98.3 WCCQ - Country
• WSSR-FM/Star 96.7 - Hot AC
• WJOL-AM/1340 WJOL - News/Talk
• WKRS-AM/ESPN Deportes 1220 - Sports
• WXLC-FM/102.3 WXLC - Hot AC
• WIIL-FM/95 WIIL Rock* - Rock
• WLIP-AM/AM 1050* - News/Talk

(*CRM notes: Officially licensed to Milwaukee, WI to get around FCC regulations regarding number of stations owned in one market. These stations, located on the IL/WI border, primarily target northern IL.)

Two Chicago-area executives are gone:

• Patrick Pendergast, who was the General Manager of four radio stations: WJOL-AM, WCCQ-FM, WRXQ-FM, and WSSR-FM. Pendergast had been with NextMedia since July 2010. 
• WERV-FM General Manager Scott Kosak. He had been with the company since August 2011. 

Replacing both is Brian Foster, a 13 year veteran of NextMedia.

Read More Now