According to reports in trade magazine Inside Radio, the potential buyers are Mariano and Wilhelmina Simms of Simms Broadcasting.
Joseph Tesiero of Cranesville Block Company confirmed details of the proposed sale on Monday. He said the necessary paperwork to approve the sale has been filed with the FCC.
“If it goes through, it goes through,” Tesiero said. “We’ll see what happens.”
Simms Broadcasting is trying to buy WCSS 1490 from Amsterdam, WKAJ 1120 from St. Johnsville, WYVS 96.5 from Speculator and WIZR 930 from Johnstown from the Cranesville Block Company.
The deal would include four translators simulcasting WCSS at 106.9 FM in Amsterdam, WKAJ at 97.9 FM in St. Johnsville, WIZR at 104.3 FM in Johnstown and 102.9 FM in Northville.
In addition, Simms Broadcasting will relocate and upgrade the WYVS transmitter before the sale is completed, Inside Radio reports.
Tesiero, who shares control of the stations through the Cranesville Block Company with his two siblings, said the decision to sell was motivated at least in part by the death of former station manager Joe Isabel in January 2021.
“Joe Isabel was at the helm, and without him they need someone else to captain,” Tesiero said. “It was a very small part of the company and with that comes a lot of responsibility, so we thought it would be best to pass him on to someone who can better serve the community.”
Isabel had owned and operated the station after his company, Gateway Cablevision, purchased it in 1989. It was sold to Cranesville Block in 2007.
Isabel was initially hired to help with the transition and continue to host the weekly call-in show “Swap Shop.” Eventually, he was hired by Tesiero as station manager and remained in that position until his death.
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“Without him, WCSS will never be the same,” Tesiero said at the time, thanking Isabel for keeping the station together by often repairing the broadcast equipment herself.
It is unclear what will happen to WCSS and the other regional radio stations. Tesiero could not provide details about the potential buyers or their plans for the stations should the deal go through.
“I am confident that it will serve the community in a good way,” said Tesiero
However, he said WCSS will continue to be based in Amsterdam’s Riverfront Center shopping mall. When it began broadcasting in 1948, it was the first radio station in the city.
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The timeline for review and possible approval of the sale was not immediately clear.
Simms Broadcasting will not be allowed to operate the stations until the FCC approves its application to purchase the stations.
The FCC did not respond Monday to a request for further information about the proposed deal.
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