Woodward Communications will consolidate its operations into Midwest Family's current location at 1510 N. Third St. in Riverton.
Woodward Communications, Inc. has completed the acquisition of four radio stations serving the Springfield marketplace from Mid-West Family: WNNS-FM, WQLZ-FM, WMAY-FM, and WMAY-AM.
This acquisition follows WCI's October 2024 purchase of four other Springfield radio stations from Neuhoff Media: WXAJ-FM, WFMB-FM, WCVS-FM, and WFMB-AM)
Kevin O’Dea, market manager for Woodward’s Springfield marketplace, will continue his role and said he is excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.
"All of us at Woodward Community Media look forward to the addition of the Midwest Family stations to our lineup here in Springfield. These four stations, along with our current lineup including Channel1450.com and our digital services, will allow us to enhance our local commitment to our listeners, advertising partners and the Springfield and central Illinois community. We are excited to get started and grow this formidable group of stations along with welcoming the talented Midwest Family professionals joining us," said Kevin O'Dea.
To comply with FCC ownership rules, WCI has divested WCVS-FM. The buyer is Educational Media Foundation. WCI is also divesting two of its recently acquired radio stations in Bloomington, WIHN and WWHX.
Additionally, WCI has entered into a “Local Marketing Agreement” with Great Plains Media to operate WBBE. Great Plains Media currently owns and operates three radio stations in Bloomington.
"We look forward to integrating Mid-West’s solid brands into our Springfield operations, and, importantly, welcoming the talented and dedicated Mid-West team to be part of our employee-owned company," said Tom Woodward, CEO and president of WCI.
"Our plan is to co-locate all the stations and related operations into Mid-West Family's current office and studios, which we believe will create synergies that will benefit our employee owners, our customers and the community,” he said.
Greg Guy of Tideline Partners advised WCI on the acquisition of Mid-West Family, the divestitures and the LMA. Bob Heymann Jr., managing director of Chicago-based Media Services Group, advised Mid-West Family.