Mapleton Communications
| Company type | For-profit corporation |
|---|---|
| Genre | Radio |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Defunct | 2019 |
| Fate | Divestiture of all properties |
| Successor | Stephens Media Group |
| Headquarters | Monterey, California |
| Products | Advertisements |
Mapleton Communications (MC) was a media company. It was formed in May 2001 to acquire and operate radio stations in mid-sized markets in the western United States. Mapleton owned and operated 41 radio stations (11 AM and 30 FM) in California, Oregon and Washington State. It was based in Monterey, California.[1]
History
Mapleton was founded in 2001 by Adam Nathanson, son of billionaire cable businessman Marc Nathanson.[2] The Nathanson family roots in radio go back to advertising executive Don Paul Nathanson, who first published Radio Showmanship Magazine in 1940. DP Nathanson bought his first radio station in 1952 along with Burt Harris (KTWO) in Casper, Wyoming. D.P. Nathanson was the founder of Grey North Advertising and Vice-Chairman of Grey Advertising before his death in 1980. Current CEO/President is Jim Shea, formerly with Clear Channel and others.
In July 2019, Mapleton announced its exit from the radio business, with four stations going to Bustos Media and the remaining stations going to Stephens Media Group.[3] The sale to Stephens was approved on October 9, 2019, [4] and was completed on October 15, 2019, bringing a close to the nearly 20-year history of the company.
List of Former Mapleton Stations before selling to Stephens Media Group
Alexandria
- KLAA-FM 103.5 Country
- KEZP 104.3 Christian Adult Contemporary
- KBKK 105.5 Classic Country
- KEDG 106.9 Adult contemporary
Chico
- KALF New Country 95.7
Medford
- KTMT 580 Sports
- KTMT-FM 93.7 Top-40
- KBOY-FM 95.7 Classic Rock
- KCMX 880 News/Talk
- KCMX-FM 101.9 Adult Contemporary
- KAKT HD1 105.1 NEW Country
- KAKT HD2 95.1 CLASSIC Country
Merced, California
- KUBB 96.3 Country
- KABX-FM 97.5 Adult Contemporary
- KLOQ-FM 98.7 Regional Mexican
- KHTN 104.7 Top 40
- KYOS 1480 News/Talk
- KBRE 1660 Active Rock
Monroe
Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz, California
- KCDU 101.7 CHR/Top 40
- KPIG-FM 107.5 Americana
- KHIP 104.3 Classic Rock
- KKHK 95.5 Variety Adult Hits
- KWAV 96.9 Adult Contemporary
Redding, California
- KQMS News Talk 1670 / 104.9 / 105.7
- KSHA K-Shasta Adult Contemporary 104.3
- KWLZ Wild 99-3 Rhythmic CHR 99.3
- KRRX 106X Rock 106.1 / 104.9 Burney
- KNRO Fox Sports 1400 / 103.9
- KRDG Classic Hits 105.3
Spokane
- KBBD 103.9 Adult Hits
- KDRK-FM 93.7 Country
- KEYF-FM 101.1 Classic Hits
- KGA 1510 Sports/Talk
- KJRB 790 Classic Rock
- KZBD 105.7 Top-40
Stations divested to Other Groups
Chico
San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose
- KSFN 1510 Chinese (Mandarin); licensed to Piedmont, California
References
- ^ "In an era of consolidation, the future of radio is uncertain". Monterey County Weekly. Retrieved 2016-09-02.
- ^ Los Angeles Times: "Small radio's big appeal - Each Mapleton station has a unique identity, allowing it to stand out in an industry that's criticized for a uniform sound" by Alana Semuels April 11, 2007
- ^ "Stephens Media Group Acquires 37 Stations From Mapleton Communications" from Radio Insight (July 1, 2019)
- ^ "Stephens completes its Mapleton deal". Streamline Publishing. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.