Norsan Media continues to expand its reach – this time to the Southwest – with the acquisition of new radio stations in Austin, TX. In conjunction with its expansion, Norsan named a new Southwest Market President and a Programming Director for the cluster.
Norsan signed the asset purchase agreement with Genuine Austin Radio. The deal included KOKE and KTAE-AM, along with K253AN and K270CO. They join Norsan’s existing Austin portfolio of four signals and are part of a growth plan involving newspapers, digital platforms, social media, and television to further serve the Hispanic community across the markets it operates.
The sale comes after a troubled year for Genuine Austin Radio, with the company’s stations briefly going dark in May due to a rent dispute with its studio landlord and losing its University of Texas sports contract to iHeartMedia.
Founded in 2004 and based in Charlotte, NC, Norsan Media owns over 40 radio stations, four TV stations, and multiple digital and print publications across North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Texas.
The company made headlines in recent weeks for its purchase of Audacy’s WSPA in Greenville-Spartanburg as part of a required divestment by Audacy to meet an FCC ownership cap in the market while it emerges from bankruptcy.
As for cluster management, Edgar Saucedo will now serve as Norsan’s Southwest Market President after assisting with financial growth on the East Coast. Ramon Loo has been appointed as Austin’s Market Programming Director, bringing a wealth of experience from his background in radio, where he has worked as talent and programming director for major stations in Texas.
Norsan Media CEO Natalia Sanchez Alvarez said, “We look forward to Ramon’s ideas and direction for our Austin stations. I believe his presence and programming expertise, combined with Saucedo’s leadership, will help us skyrocket in the Texas market.”
