NY State Radio: Pamal Broadcasting to Acquire Galaxy Media

Pamal Broadcasting has agreed to buy Galaxy Media, the Syracuse- and Utica-based radio group founded by Ed Levine, for an undisclosed price, pending FCC approval.

The Albany-area company will take over day-to-day operations of Galaxy’s stations on Oct. 1 under a local marketing agreement, running programming and management while the sale moves through the FCC. Galaxy operates about 10 stations — often counted as a larger cluster of signals when simulcasts and translators are included — in the Syracuse and Utica-Rome markets. 

Those brands include K-Rock in both cities, classic rock TK99/TK105, classic hits Sunny 102, Mix 102.5, variety-hits Tony FM, and ESPN Radio outlets in Syracuse and Utica.-Rome.

Pamal, a family-owned group based in Latham and led by President and CEO Jim Morrell, already owns clusters in the Capital Region, Hudson Valley, Glens Falls and Rutland, Vermont. 

Morrell said the deal would stretch the company’s footprint from New York City, Long Island and northern New Jersey through the Hudson Valley and Capital District to Lake George, and now into Utica and Syracuse. “We have had a few meetings with the Galaxy employees, and we are excited to work with them, learn from them, and continue in the strong tradition of supporting our communities, entertaining our listeners and helping our advertising partners grow their businesses,” he said.

Ed Levine

Levine, who started the company in 1990 with Utica rock station WKLL and later moved its headquarters to downtown Syracuse’s Armory Square, called the sale the close of a 36-year run. He announced in August that he planned to retire by year’s end and relocate to North Carolina. “I have been fortunate to live out a lifelong dream of mine for the past 36 years,” he said. “While I will miss Galaxy and Syracuse/Utica, I could not be happier to hand things off to Pamal Broadcasting. They are a committed group of upstate broadcasters who share much of the same DNA as Galaxy.”⁠

Galaxy grew from a single Utica FM into a Central New York cluster that also produced large local events, including Taste of Syracuse, Lights on the Lake and the Syracuse Nationals. Those events have been a separate part of Levine’s business and were the subject of a financing dispute earlier this year; the radio-station sale announced by Pamal covers the broadcast operations. The transaction cannot close until the FCC signs off. Until then, Pamal will operate the stations under the LMA beginning Thursday.