| Date: |
January 21, 2004 |
| Contact: |
Glenn Serafin |
| Phone: |
(813) 885-6060 |
NASSAU
TO ACQUIRE SCONNIX STATIONS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
PRINCETON,
NEW JERSEY –Nassau Broadcasting Holdings, Inc. (“Nassau”)
has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the
assets of three more radio stations in New Hampshire from
WLNH Radio, Inc., an affiliate of Sconnix Broadcasting
Co., LLC (“Sconnix’). This follows by one week
the announcement of Nassau’s intention to acquire
three FM radio stations from Tele-Media Company of New
Hampshire, L.L.C. (“Tele-Media”). Both transactions
are subject to the consent of the Federal Communications
Commission (“FCC”). Specific terms were not
disclosed.
The radio stations to be acquired from Sconnix are WLNH-FM
and WEMJ licensed to Laconia, and WBHG-FM licensed to Meredith,
both New Hampshire. The populations in the service contours
of the six stations total 1,575,000 persons. The transactions
are expected to close routinely in spring 2004. Glenn Serafin
of Serafin Bros., Inc., a media brokerage and financial services
company, represented Nassau in both transactions.
The sale
of the New Hampshire properties marks the last of the Sconnix
stations to be sold in a series of divestitures
stretching back to 1993. Purchased in 1975, WLNH was among
the first Sconnix stations to be acquired and preceded the
company’s move into major markets, where it is was
best known. At one time Sconnix owned and operated radio
stations in Boston, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Baltimore, Tampa,
Kansas City and Indianapolis. Its most recent sale occurred
in December 2000 when its Quad Cities cluster was sold for
$85 Million. Sconnix principals Randy Odeneal and Scott McQueen
own no other radio stations.
Just
last month Nassau announced it would acquire (subject to
FCC consent)
nine FM and two AM stations serving Portland
and other areas of southern coastal Maine. In addition, on
New Year’s Eve it closed its $16 million acquisition
of WOJZ, a Class “B1” FM station in Egg Harbor
City NJ that serves the southern Jersey Shore.
Nassau, a privately held firm based in Princeton, New Jersey
owned and managed by chairman Louis F. Mercatanti, Jr., is
a leading radio broadcasting company that owns, operates
and acquires radio stations primarily in the mid-sized affluent
suburban markets of the northeastern United States. Post-closings,
Nassau will own and/or operate 32 radio stations in suburban
New York, Philadelphia, eastern Pennsylvania, Maine and New
Hampshire.
“The combination of the Sconnix and Tele-Media radio
stations will give us a tremendous base of operations in
southern New Hampshire,” said Mr. Mercatanti. “We
will build on the good will and success of both clusters
as we grow our company into New England.”
Excluding
the 17 stations to be acquired, Nassau’s
radio stations in the suburbs of Philadelphia, central New
Jersey, Allentown PA, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton PA and Atlantic
County NJ reach in excess of 1.2 million listeners weekly.
Serafin Bros., Inc., a Florida corporation, provides brokerage,
finance and valuation services to select clients in the radio
and television industries nationwide. Glenn M. Serafin, a
30-year veteran of the broadcast industry, formed Serafin
Bros. in 1993.