When Cincinnati Public Radio picked up WVXU/91.7 to add to its classical WGUC/90.9, the pubcaster also inherited a bunch of far-flung simulcast outlets…as close as Chillicothe OH, and as far off as northern lower Michigan…known as the “XStar Radio Network”.
The Cincinnati station is now selling off the final three simulcasters still under its control.
In a $1 million deal (FCC PDF), Christian Voice of Central Ohio gets WVXC/89.3 Chillicothe, WVXW/89.5 West Union OH and WVXR/89.3 Richmond IN. Christian Voice of Central Ohio is better known as the owner of Columbus market CCM outlet WCVO/104.9 Gahanna (“104.9 The River”) and its sister station, WCVZ/92.7 South Zanesville (“92.7 The River”).
The move completely disassembles the “XStar” network. WVXU/Cincinnati Public Radio sold off the distant stations in Michigan to mainly commercial broadcasters.
And while neither report makes mention of this sale, both the Cincinnati Post’s Rick Bird and the Cincinnati Enquirer’s John Kiesewetter take a look at the year anniversary of the change at WVXU, where the dominant local pubcaster took over the quirky station once run by Xavier University and turned it into an NPR news/talk outlet.
The WVXU folks are pronouncing the combination a “success” a year later…
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