Neuhoff family sells several radio stations in Springfield, Bloomington

After nearly 70 years, the Neuhoff family has exited the broadcasting industry in central Illinois as part of a definitive agreement to sell several radio stations.

Neuhoff Family Limited Partnership announced Monday an agreement between Neuhoff Media LLC of Springfield and Bloomington to sell seven different channels to Woodward Communications, Inc., or WCI.

Woodward is an employee-owned company that owns eight radio stations and Insight Publications in northeast Wisconsin.

The announcement came the same day as the formal filing of a change of ownership petition with the Federal Communications Commission, sealing the Neuhoff family's final divestment from the broadcast media business.

Kalil & Co., Inc. brokered the deal between the two media companies on behalf of Neuhoff. Julian Hickman and Makena Neuhoff, trustees for the Neuhoff family, managed the sale of the company.

“This final sale is bittersweet for our family as it reflects both a proud heritage and an emotional farewell,” Hickman said. “The stations have been an important part of our family and community and while we appreciate the incredible journey, it is time to start a new chapter.”

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WCI CEO Tom Woodward said the acquired stations would align with their focus on community media in markets across Illinois and would add experienced teams and talent to their employee-run company. It is unclear whether any jobs will be lost as a result of the ownership change.

Earlier this year, on February 1, Neuhoff sold nine radio and website channels in Decatur and Danville to Champaign Media Group, marking the company's first exit from the broadcast industry.

Previously, Neuhoff Family Limited Partnership and its local affiliates owned and operated 24 broadcast signals and several digital platforms in five radio markets in central Illinois and west-central Indiana.

Which channels were sold? Are the channels changing?

The channels sold to WCI in Springfield are:

The following channels are sold in Bloomington:

Springfield channels are broadcast from the radio station on South Fourth Street and range from sports on 92.3-FM Channel1450 to country on 104.5-FM WFMB to the 80s and 90s on 96.7-FM WCVS and WXAJ – better known as 99.7-FM the mix. Currently, all channels continue to offer the same broadcast and music as always.

Steve Wexler, interim CEO of Neuhoff Media, said he is excited about the local brand's transition to WCI Broadcasting and that the Woodward team shares Neuhoff's passion for local journalism.

“It was an honor to be part of this final chapter of the proud Neuhoff broadcasting journey,” said Wexler.

Claire Grant writes about business, growth and development and other news topics for The State Journal-Register. Reach her at [email protected]; and on X (formerly known as Twitter): @Claire_Granted

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Neuhoff family sells several radio stations in Springfield, Bloomington

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