Magnum Communications has agreed to acquire four western Wisconsin radio stations from Sparta-Tomah Broadcasting Co., with an application for the sale set to be filed with the FCC.
The deal covers
- Country WCOW-FM (97.1)
- News/Talk WKLJ-AM (1290) and translator W271CM (102.1), all licensed to Sparta
- WFBZ-FM (105.5), licensed to Trempealeau.
The stations represent Sparta-Tomah Broadcasting’s remaining media holdings.
Magnum Communications is part of Wisconsin-based Magnum Media, which owns six full-power AM stations, 14 full-power FM stations and 18 FM translators across Wisconsin, eastern Minnesota and northern Illinois.
WCOW-FM is marking its 75th anniversary this year and has been named Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Small Market Station of the Year seven times. In 2025, its Ben & Arnie morning show received the Country Music Association’s Best Small Market Personality of the Year award.
Reid Magnum said the acquisition carries personal meaning for his family. “In June, when my Dad was inducted into the Wisconsin Broadcasters Hall of Fame, he spoke in the video about WCOW being the very first radio station he was ever in at age 4,” Magnum said. “His uncle, Len DeSomer, was an announcer at WCOW in 1967. On top of that, my Mom and Dad sat with Pink Rice at the first Wisconsin Broadcasters Association dinner they attended in 1990.”