Five radio stations in the La Crosse area are undergoing dial position changes or format changes after La Crosse Media Group sold the stations to three new owners.
Magnum Media closed last week on its acquisition of 106.3 WQCC-FM, 102.7 KQEG-FM, 1490-AM WLFN from La Crosse Media Group and FM translator 97.9 from The Salvation Poem Foundation. The stations join Magnum’s other La Crosse Market Radio stations 96.1 WXYM-FM which is re-broadcasted on FM translator 107.3, 94.5 WTMB-FM, 1460 WBOG-AM which is re-broadcasted on FM translator 101.3. Magnum also operates KQEG-TV in La Crosse which, after the digital re-pack is complete, is slated to be simulcast on Channel 35 Tomah-Sparta and Channel 18 Eau Claire.
“Our La Crosse stations expansion is the second of two different clusters that we committed to before the pandemic,” Reid Magnum said. “My dad has worked with the very same bank, and same CPA firm, since he and my mom started from scratch in 1991. Those long-standing loyalties sure came in handy to close on purchases during a pandemic. We got both clusters closed in the nick of time before Wisconsin went into the license renewal period. If we hadn’t, we would’ve had to wait until November at the earliest.
Numerous format changes took place immediately after the sale. The Classic Rock format that had been on 100.1 WKBH-FM has been moved to 102.7 KQEG-FM and musically altered by Ty Magnum into a Classic Rock/Classic Hits hybrid. What had been a Hot Adult Contemporary format on 104.9 WLXR was softened to Adult Contemporary and moved to an HD-2 channel which is being re-broadcasted on FM translator 97.9 retaining the “Magic” moniker. On 1490 AM Magnum dropped syndicated Talk and brought back the Oldies format branded in La Crosse for decades as “The Eagle.”
Hot Country outlet 106.3 WQCC-FM was not altered.
100.1 is being sold to the Educational Media Foundation, the operator of national Christian music networks, and will change the callsign to WLCW.
Prayz Network, which was previously airing on the translator purchased by Magnum is now heard on 104.9 under the callsign WGSL. The Prayz Network is operated by the Salvation Poem Foundation, which bought 104.9 from La Crosse Media Group and sold the translator to Magnum.
