St Louis Radio: FCC Clears Hoffmann’s Purchase of Audacy Cluster

FCC regulators approved the $20 million acquisition of six stations—including heritage news/talk KMOX-AM/FM—rejecting an informal objection that raised concerns about media consolidation, editorial independence, and local journalism. The FCC called the claims speculative. 

The deal marks Hoffmann’s first entry into radio broadcasting; the company already has significant newspaper and digital interests through Lee Enterprises and Hoffmann Media Group.

Hoffmann’s Audacy St. Louis acquisition is the first concrete step in a deliberate national strategy to build a large-scale, multi-platform local media company by pairing newspapers with radio stations in the same markets.

Key Details of the St. Louis Acquisition

The portfolio includes:

• KMOX (1120 AM / 104.1 FM) — the longtime “Trusted Voice of St. Louis” and flagship for St. Louis Cardinals baseball.
• KFTK-FM (97.1) — News/Talk.
• Music outlets: KYKY (Y98, Hot AC), KEZK (102.5, Adult Contemporary), WFUN (96.3 R&B), and WHHL (Hot 98.7, Hip-Hop/R&B).

David Hoffmann (founder and chairman of the Hoffmann Family of Companies / HF Companies) has positioned the deal as more than a one-off radio purchase. In statements around the June 2026 announcement, he described it as “a deliberate step to accelerate the expansion of our media platform” and part of building “a scaled, multi-platform network that combines print, digital and broadcast.” 

He has repeatedly said the company aims to become the second-largest media company in the U.S. by the end of 2026, combining its newspaper holdings with planned radio expansion.⁠

Core Strategic Elements

Market-aligned synergies: Hoffmann has explicitly framed the model as buying radio stations in places where the company already owns newspapers. In St. Louis this means combining the Post-Dispatch (via Lee Enterprises) with the Audacy cluster that includes heritage news/talk KMOX-AM/FM (flagship of the Cardinals), 97.1 FM Talk, and music stations. He has said the company is “in discussions in other parts of the country for radio stations where we have newspapers,” calling this the business model being rolled out nationally, and describing the St. Louis deal as the “first of many.” Talk radio is described as a “natural extension” of the news and community-connection mission.⁠

Scale through print + broadcast: The media portfolio already spans roughly 154 newspapers across 30 states via Lee Enterprises (where Hoffmann is chairman and holds a controlling stake after a ~$50 million investment) and Hoffmann Media Group. Adding radio is intended to create cross-promotion, shared advertising sales, content distribution, and local audience leverage. A management agreement aligned Hoffmann Media Group under Lee shortly before the radio deal.

Opportunistic timing and pricing: The $20 million purchase of the full six-station St. Louis cluster (plus a translator) was an unsolicited offer to post-bankruptcy Audacy. It was not a marketed process. Relative to other recent radio deals, the price reflects current radio valuations while giving Hoffmann a high-profile heritage cluster and strong local sports ties at a manageable entry cost. Audacy CEO Kelli Turner noted that “everything has a price” and the offer made business sense.