Zwerling Puts KSCO, KOMY On The Market

Michael Zwerling mentioned during his "Saturday Special" on KSCO/1080 this morning that he is putting both KSCO and KOMY/1340 up for sale. He says that he hopes the new owners will keep KSCO programming Talk, but he understands that radio has been heading more towards ethnic listeners (and particularly Hispanic and Asian listeners).

No announcement on the KSCO.com website, but there was this on the station's news update page:

KSCO/KOMY UP FOR SALE - S.S.

Friday, September 21, 2007 5:45 AM --- 2 OUT OF 3 OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY'S COMMERCIAL RADIO STATIONS WILL SOON BE UP FOR SALE. MICHAEL ZWERLING, THE CEO OF ZWERLING BROADCASTING SYSTEMS, SAYS HE'S READY TO RETIRE FROM THE BROADCASTING BUSINESS.

HE AND HIS FAMILY HAVE OWNED KSCO AM-1080 FOR 17 YEARS, AND KOMY AM-1340 FOR 10 YEARS. UNDER THIS OWNERSHIP KSCO HAS CONTINUOUSLY BEEN A NEWSTALK STATION, WHILE KOMY WAS A NEWSTALK STATION UNTIL THIS PAST WINTER, WHEN IT WAS CHANGED TO AN OLDIES MUSIC FORMAT.

ZWERLING WENT ON TO SAY THAT IT IS HIS SINCERE HOPE THAT THE WHOMEVER BUYS THIS STATION WILL DO SO WITH THE INTENT TO SERVE THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.

UPDATE: I spoke with MZ on November 19 and — despite rumors that he was seeking $15-million for KSCO and KOMY — he told me that his price for both stations is $6-million as a package deal, not including the land KSCO's classic studio building stands on. (KOMY is essentially a "virtual" radio station, with programming fed in via satellite and out through one of KSCO's transmitter towers.)