KURM radio station owner says a sale is ‘more complex’ than expected

Kermit Womack, recently inducted into the inaugural Arkansas Broadcasters Hall of Fame, said selling his AM and FM radio station operations and property has proven “more complex” than expected. But as of Oct. 15, he was in the process of selling the FM station.

Rogers-based KURM Radio (790-AM, 100.3 FM) ended operations on July 1 after almost 45 years of radio programming focused on the community, including county fairs, local sports teams, weekly coaches shows and business recognition. For example, 45 years of local athlete recognition included a young Doug McMillon, now the Walmart CEO, and Rhett Lashlee, now the head football coach at Southern Methodist University.

Womack, a broadcaster with more than 70 years of experience, is known by station listeners as “The Colonel.” U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers, is Kermit’s son and managed the station for 11 years before leaving the business to join the Army ROTC program at the University of Arkansas and later becoming mayor of Rogers.

In an Oct. 15 interview with the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal, Kermit Womack said a local group or person is in the process of buying the FM station that includes a ground lease for parts of the property, which includes a tower site near Gravette. He said the deal is confidential until completed.

When asked when the deal is expected to close, Kermit said “hopefully soon, because I believe the paperwork is being filed or has been filed by the attorneys.”

The AM station is proving more difficult to sell because it includes a tower that sits on 10 high-value acres, surrounded by housing and commercial developments in Rogers. Kermit said when the tower was initially built, it was “in the middle of a soybean field.”

“The land is so valuable that, so far, we’ve not had a taker that’s interested in buying the station and the tower site. So, I’m considering leasing the tower site. If somebody wants to pick up the AM, then they can do that certainly on a reasonable basis,” Kermit said in the interview.

The radio license with the Federal Communications Commission expires one year after he went off the air. Kermit hopes to sell or lease the operations before the federal deadline. He initially hoped a person or company would buy the assets and continue with the KURM programming.

“It’s been more complex,” Kermit said when asked about the process. “I was hopeful that somebody would want to come in and pick the station up and continue the type of programming that we have been famous for over these 45 years. But it’s hard work.”