The Shrinking Black Radio Empire: Access.1 Communications Sells Nine Stations

According to Black Enterprise, another Black radio empire is shrinking.

Alpha Media just bought nine more radio stations from Access 1 Communications. The additional nine stations bring Alpha Media to 96 stations stretching coast to coast. The latest purchase was for five stations located in Shreveport (KBTT, KOKA-A, KDKs, KLKL, KTAL) and four radio stations in Tyler-Longview (KKUS, KOOI, KOYE and KYKX).

Alpha Media started as a small radio broadcast company in Portland, Oregon. When they started, their vision was “smaller, faster, bolder, and work as a team at all levels.” The “smaller” part is coming to an end.

Alpha Media may own 96 stations, but the stations are not ordinary. They produce great content that is in demand. According to Black Enterprise, “Today, the company boasts more than 2500 different radio stations airing its programming.”

Perhaps this is what attracted them to the Access 1 stations. Larry Wilson, Chairman of Alpha Media said of the sale, “Chesley Maddox-Dorsey is a great person with superb integrity and it’s a tremendous honor for us to be buying stations from Access 1. The quality of people I’ve met and their passion for the industry is impressive; it fits right in our sweet spot for live and local radio.”

With the sale, an era ends in radio. Chesley Maddox-Dorsey was an African-American woman who ran a successful radio empire. She was once quoted in the now defunct R&R talking about Access 1. “We’re a company that has a strong belief in the power of diversity. By that I mean that the chairman of the company is African American and the president is African American, but we have a strong commitment to diversity in format. It’s our mantra. We believe in the American Way. We can prosper most by having the best of both worlds in the true American sense. Clear Channel has been fabulous in teaching us how to mix formats in the same building. Black owners and operators don’t just have to operate black stations.”

Maddox-Dorsey also adds “With our sale to Alpha Media, our employees, listeners and advertising partners in East Texas and Shreveport, Louisiana, will have the opportunity to work with a visionary group of media professionals with a demonstrated track-record of success. We are thrilled that we could pass our baton to this incredibly imaginative company that will maintain that intimate connection with listeners and advertisers that we have come to cherish.”

Chairman and President, respectively, are industry veterans Sydney Small and Chesley Maddox-Dorsey. Access.1 also has a 49% ownership interest in American Urban Radio Networks (AURN), SupeRadio Networks as well as various other radio and TV stations.