Zimmer Communications and Mid-West Family will merge their Springfield radio operations pending FCC approval.
The deal would combine Mid-West Family’s Springfield stations—KKLH (104.7 The Cave), KOMG (105.1 The Bull), KOSP (102.1 The Won), KQRA (Q92.9 Springfield’s Rock Station) and the Around the Ozarks multimedia brand—into Columbia-based Zimmer Communications. Zimmer currently owns and operates KTXR (98.7 The Dove), KWTO-AM (960 AM / 93.3 FM News/Talk), KWTO-FM (101.3 Real Country), KZMO (93.7 The Stage) and KBFL (1060 AM / 96.9 FM The Jock).
If approved, Zimmer would manage nine heritage radio stations in the region. “This is an exciting opportunity to bring together two organizations that share the same values and a deep commitment to local broadcasting,” Zimmer Communications President John Zimmer said.
“After more than 35 years of ownership in the Springfield market, partnering with another legendary Missouri ownership group to create the next chapter of local media service to our communities is incredibly exciting,” Mid-West Family President Mike Paterson said.
Both companies will continue operating independently until FCC approval, which is anticipated by the end of 2026.
The agreement follows recent format shifts in the market. In September, Zimmer launched 93.7 The Stage, ending its simulcast of 96.9 The Jock. In October, Mid-West Family flipped 102.1 to sports as The Won and moved its Active Rock Q102 branding to 92.9 as Q92.9.
The agreement follows recent format shifts in the market. In September, Zimmer launched 93.7 The Stage, ending its simulcast of 96.9 The Jock. In October, Mid-West Family flipped 102.1 to sports as The Won and moved its Active Rock Q102 branding to 92.9 as Q92.9.
Mid-West Family also operates stations in Madison, Eau Claire and La Crosse, Wisconsin; Rockford, Illinois; St. Joseph-Benton Harbor, Michigan; and South Bend, Indiana. In April 2025 it sold its Springfield, Illinois, stations for $990,000.
The transaction comes amid Zimmer’s broader push for deregulation. In May, company President John Zimmer petitioned the FCC to eliminate local radio ownership caps, building on a 2025 Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that ended the agency’s TV Top-Four Prohibition.