Trenton, NJ – May 20, 2013 – Connoisseur Media is proud to announce Andy Rosen as its new Market Manager for WPST-FM & WCHR-AM radio in Trenton, NJ.

Mr. Rosen brings with him over 25 years of experience in radio broadcasting. He comes to the company from Target Spot, where he served as Vice President of Strategic Sales.  He has also served as Vice President and General Manager for Clear Channel in New York, Radio One in Philadelphia, and Cumulus Media Partners in Atlanta.

“To say that I am excited to join the Connoisseur Family would be an understatement.  Connoisseur’s commitment to delivering quality to listeners, advertisers and communities with integrity, service and innovation aligns with my core operating values. Between my management background in radio and my experience in digital, I look forward to creating exciting new initiatives and building on the strong foundation that already exists at WPST and WCHR”, says Rosen.

Connoisseur COO, David Bevins comments, “We are pleased to have Andy join our team. He is an experienced media executive, that has excelled at all levels of the industry, including national representation of firms, and in large, medium and small market senior leadership positions. His teams have consistently produced exceptional results in highly competitive environments and I’m confident he will continue this success in Trenton.”

Connoisseur is headquartered in Westport, CT. The company owns and/or operates radio stations in Allentown, PA, Billings, MT, Bloomington, IL, Bridgeport, CT, Erie, PA, Nassau-Suffolk, NY, New Haven, CT, Omaha, NE, Rapid City, SD, Stamford-Norwalk, CT, Stroudsburg, PA, Trenton, NJ, and Wichita, KS.

Contact Information:

David Bevins, COO

136 Main St., Suite 202

Westport, CT 06880

Tel: 203-227-1978

www.connoisseurmedia.com

From Radio Ink:

Changing formats can be an agonizing decision for a GM. How many listeners will we alienate? How bad will they beat us up on social media? Do we have the marketing budget for a new launch? What will the advertisers think of our stability? Do we have to fire anyone? When companies own multiple stations in one market, it’s rare all of them are top performers. Connoisseur was running into this challenge at its Long Island cluster at 94.3 on the dial.

That all changed when CEO Jeff Warshaw decided he wanted to enter the Rock battle, a format WBAB-FM has dominated for three decades. As a result, “The Shark” was born. Nearly one year after its launch, the brass at Connoisseur  are all smiles about “The Shark.” Early ratings have been very strong. Marketing of the product has created a nice buzz on the island. And, most importantly, revenue is up, according to Market Manager Dave Widmer. The station mixes classic rock music with newer rock music, which according to the research Connoisseur paid for, works with the younger demo.

Coleman Insights President and CEO Warren Kurtzman who helped Connoisseur with the launch said, “Jeff Warshaw, Mike Driscoll, David Bevins and their team at Connoisseur continually demonstrate that “doing radio right” generates ratings and revenue, with the launch of the Shark simply serving as the latest example of that.  We are proud to contribute to their success.”

Widmer says the numbers are so tremendous, so good, it almost borders on unbelievable. But, he adds, we’ve done our homework. “It’s not a fluke. This is a radio station has some legs to it. Listening occasions are high, 6-8 a day. That’s a good sign. It’s more than buzz. As a GM, I want to know what I’m working with here. We’re out on the streets selling this. So we tell the story of how we got here by telling advertisers here’s what the problem was, here’s our research and here’s what we’ve executed. Connoisseur is not afraid to spend money on research and marketing.”

In addition to the research, Connoisseur has made a significant investment in marketing and promotion, according to Widmer. The station vehicle certainly gets noticed, Television campaigns have been running and artist concert fly-aways are part of the on the air. Amazingly, The Shark has accomplished all of this early success without a live morning show, giving some credence to the notion that consumers want more music and less talk. It also puts Widmer in an interesting position. How long does he go without a live morning team?

Listen to our Podcast with Connoisseur Long island Market Manager Dave Widmer on how to execute a successful format flip HERE.

You can listen to The Shark HERE

The station break is clearly over for Jeffrey Warshaw and the other executives of Westport-based Connoisseur Media, which has surged onto the scene with $100 million in radio acquisitions in the last nine months.

Warshaw, 48, has a long history in radio, having built his first station at age 19 and following that up with Connoisseur Communications in 1993. That company eventually grew to 39 stations and was sold to Cumulus Broadcasting in 2000 for $258 million.

Today, Warshaw, joined by his former Connoisseur Communications partners Michael Driscoll, chief financial officer, and David Bevins, chief operating officer, is again growing a radio empire, this time under the Connoisseur Media brand.

“We’ve seen great opportunity,” Warshaw, said. “It’s a special time. There are tons of stations for sale. These (the Connecticut ones) are great stations with great heritage in the market and great facilities.”

Last week, Connoisseur announced a deal to buy WPLR, Star 99.9 and WFOX, the Fox, from Cox Media. All three stations have offices on Wheelers Farms Road in Milford. They operate throughout the state and region, sharing some programming, like Chaz and AJ, the morning team on WPLR, a rock station; and The Fox, a hot adult contemporary station. Star 99.9, which covers Fairfield County, has the Tad Show for the morning drive to compliment its classic rock format. All the stations have their own websites.

Warshaw and Driscoll had been working primarily on the investment side of media during the five years between radio gigs.

An 18-year resident of Westport, Warshaw said it’s nice to own stations in his own backyard.

As far as any changes at the stations, he said, the only thing he plans to change is the name above the logo, adding he’s pleased with the formats and the community involvement.

“Good radio is good radio,” he said.

The Connecticut radio station purchases came at a good price, he said, but when he and Driscoll fired up Connoisseur Media in 2005, it wasn’t a buyer’s market. They plunged ahead by building radio stations from scratch, and created six in Montana.

Then, as the economy changed, prices came down and the company has been able to expand. Along with its Montana properties, it has stations in Pennsylvania, New York, Nebraska, South Dakota, New Jersey and Kansas.

If the Connecticut deal, valued at $40 million, is approved by the Federal Communication Commission, you’ll be able to drive from New Haven to Philadelphia and always have a Connoisseur station on.

There is unlikely to be any job loss from this acquisition. Cox was based in Atlanta, so corporate functions for the stations will just be shifting to Westport, while the stations’ other functions remain based in Milford.

One thing that attracted Connoisseur is that these are popular stations with legacies in the community.

And local advertisers have embraced the stations. Newtown Savings Bank advertises with them, so does Park City Ford in Bridgeport, while plastic surgeon Dr. Stanley Frost, who has an office in Greenwich, also buys time from the stations.

Dan Long, marketing director of Newtown Savings, said he doesn’t see the change in ownership affecting him as a listener or the bank as an advertiser. He hasn’t heard of any major changes to programming or advertising, and couldn’t see why they would make changes.

“They’re great,” he said of the group of station sales people in Connecticut. “We’re very happy with the people and the service we get.”

One thing nice about the deal is it brings the corporate headquarters into the state and, Long said, “certainly, we do like to support the businesses in our community.”

As for Warshaw, he sees his company’s role pretty clearly regarding these operations: “We are going to be guardians of these stations.”

99.1 WPLR is a forty two year old heritage Rock station serving the New Haven, Connecticut community with a legendary track record of success.  Classic Hits “95.9 The Fox”  is the only FM station home to the Stamford/Norwalk market deeply devoted to that community for over 20 years.  Hot Adult Contemporary STAR 99.9 is a true regional leader thanks to its massive signal covering four markets in Connecticut and beyond.

Connoisseur has been in a rapid growth mode, recently expanding into several markets including Long Island, Trenton, NJ and Allentown, PA. The company has closed on or announced over $100,000,000 of radio station acquisitions in the past nine months.

Connoisseur CEO, Jeffrey D. Warshaw, said, “We are honored and privileged to welcome these terrific radio stations into the Connoisseur family. The stations have an impeccable history of community service and high quality broadcasting. We are excited to be working with the tremendous team that Market Manager Kristin Okesson has led to great success. It is particularly gratifying to own these stations in our own back yard.“

Connoisseur is headquartered in Westport, CT. The company owns and/or operates radio stations in Allentown, PA, Billings, MT, Bloomington, IL, Erie, PA, Nassau-Suffolk, NY, Omaha, NE, Rapid City, SD, Stroudsburg, PA, Trenton, NJ, and Wichita, KS.

Contact Information:

Jeffrey D. Warshaw or Michael O. Driscoll

136 Main St., Suite 202

Westport, CT 06880

Tel: 203-227-1978

www.connoisseurmedia.com

The stations were put up for auction in May, but debtholders Goldman Sachs, Fortress Capital and P.E. Capital retained the assets after no buyers did better than their $38.7 million credit bid. Connoisseur will assume that bid to buy the stations. The debtholders had other offers, but none as appealing. At the May auction Townsquare Media offered $16 million for WPST alone and Cumulus Media offered to buy classic hits “99.9 The Hawk” WODE-FM for $3 million to fill-out its Allentown, PA cluster. Connoisseur will get those two stations and eight others.

In Trenton it picks up religious WCHR (920) to go along with WPST. In the Allentown market besides WODE-FM Connoisseur also buys rock “107.1 The Bone” WWYY, sports “ESPN Radio 1230″ WEEX and its simulcast WTKZ (1320), and religious “The Light 1160″ WBYN. In the Wilkes Barre-Scranton market it gets hot AC WSBG (93.5) and talk WVPO (840). And Connoisseur gets the Spanish sports standalone WNJE, Flemington, NJ (1040).

The debtholders will go before U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Kevin Gross next week in Delaware asking that he clear Connoisseur to begin operating the stations under local marketing agreement until the sale closes. Connoisseur will pay LMA fees ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 a month depending on how long that process takes. It’s the second big ticket deal for Warshaw this year. In March he bought Barnstable Broadcasting’s four Nassau stations in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont to investment banker Bill Binnie and Great Eastern Radio CEO Jeff Shapiro who jointly bid $12.5 million is expected to close by the end of this week.

[Farmingdale, NY – September 13, 2012] – Long Island’s Connoisseur Media takes a BITE out of local radio with the unveiling of Long Island’s newest Rock Station, 94-3 The Shark (WSSK).  With the positioning statement of “Everything That Rocks”, 94-3 The Shark will have an extensive playlist, less repetition than local rock competitors and feature a variety of artists like Ozzy Osbourne, Pearl Jam, Metallica, Beastie Boys, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, AC/DC, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Sublime, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins, U2, Van Halen, Foo Fighters and so much more…literally, everything that ROCKS!

 “We listened to the radio listeners of Long Island and they wanted more variety and a rock station that wasn’t boring.” Said David Bevins, COO of Connoisseur Media.  “94-3 The Shark will provide listeners with energy and attitude that can’t be found on any local Long Island rock station.”

Connoisseur Media hosted two extensive Long Island research projects before coming to this conclusion and made the change for a number of reasons.

“The change falls in line with the Connoisseur philosophy of the 3 C’s,” Said Dave Widmer, General Manager for the Long Island CM cluster.  “94-3 The Shark will better serve our COMMUNITY, and what we know they want, the Long Island CLIENTS and advertisers who want a better way to reach a young male demographic and our staff and COLLEAGUES who will now be able to provide complete demographic and geographic marketing solutions to current and future businesses.”

94-3 The Shark will round out the Connoisseur Long Island portfolio complimenting KJOY 98.3 (Leading station with Women 25-54), B103/103.1 (catering to Adults/Baby Boomer 35-64) and AM adult standards, WHLI 1100 (specializing in the 55+ community).  The Shark will provide businesses and the advertising community a better option to reach Men 18-49. 

The Shark will be edgy, interactive and different than other local rock formats.  It will offer music that can’t be found on other local stations…94-3 The Shark will be the COMPLETE source for Rock on Long Island.  To learn more about 94-3 The Shark, visit us online at www.<URL>.com, or call us at 631-770-4200.  

“We are very happy and excited to have Doug join our team once again”, said David Bevins, Chief Operating Officer. “Doug has a solid track record and I’m confident his experience will provide dividends to the market and our employees.”

Doug Downs says, “I am thrilled to be back as the General Manager of BOB FM and The Wolf and to be part of the Connoisseur Team. I look forward to working with a great staff and to continue building strong brands in Wichita.”

For Additional Info, Contact:

David Bevins, COO

dbevins@conncos.com

PH: 216-402-0710

Doug Downs, General Manager

ddowns@connoisseurwichita.com

PH: 316-558-8800

BOB-FM debuted in Bismarck in 2009, and for the past three years it has successfully operated as a single station in a very competitive radio market. “Bismarck is a wonderful market,” said Connoisseur CEO Jeffrey D. Warshaw, “but owning only one station no longer made the best business sense for us. We wish Bob and his staff great success.”

The sale, which is subject to FCC approval, is expected to occur in the next two or three months.

Michael Bergner of Bergner & Co. served as the broker on the deal.

Founded in 2004, Connoisseur Media owns and operates 24 radio stations in Bismarck, ND, Billings, MT., Bloomington, IL, Erie, PA, Long Island, NY, Omaha, NE, Rapid City, SD and Wichita, KS.

July 10, 2012 6:15 PM By JAMES BERNSTEIN james.bernstein@newsday.com

Photo credit: Newsday / Thomas A. Ferrara | Jeff Warshaw, CEO of Connoisseur Media in Westport, Conn., has closed on his purchase of Long Island Radio Group’s four local stations. He says he’ll make no major format or program changes. (July 9, 2012)

Jeff Warshaw seems never to slow down. He hop-steps into a small conference room in Farmingdale, slapping his hands together like a man who is always just about to run out of time.

And part of what Warshaw does is sell time: airtime.

The company Warshaw, 48, started in 2004, Connoisseur Media of Westport, Conn., has officially become the owner of the Farmingdale-based Long Island Radio Group, which owns WKJY/ 98.3 FM, WBZO/103.1 FM, WHLI/1100 AM and WIGX/ 94.3 FM.

Last week, Connoisseur closed on a $23-million deal to buy the radio group from Newton, Mass.-based Barnstable Broadcasting, after having first announced the purchase in March.

Warshaw, Connoisseur’s chief executive, has radio in his blood. In 1967 his parents and uncle bought WTHE/1520 AM in Mineola, which sells airtime to local and national ministries and religious institutions. His parents, who live in Roslyn, still own the radio station.

Warshaw, a 1982 Roslyn High School grad, bought a radio station in Indiana while he was still at the Wharton School of Business. He has since sold that station but now owns 24 others, including the four on Long Island.

“We were looking to expand our business,” said Warshaw, who lives in Connecticut but is a regular visitor to his parents’ home. “We heard these [four Island] stations were for sale.” The purchase was Connoisseur’s largest, and the stations are its biggest.

Long Island radio is a huge market. John Caracciolo, chief executive of Ronkonkoma-based JVC Broadcasting, owner of four Long Island stations, estimates that Island advertisers spend $50 million annually on radio spots, or airtime.

But there is only a handful of radio companies serving the Island — Connoisseur, JVC, Atlanta-based Cox Media Group and San Antonio, Texas-based Clear Channel Communications Inc., among them.

How to get market share? Warshaw thinks the best way is to continue the formats his four stations now follow, which include programming for Gen-Xers as well as baby boomers. No major changes are planned, he said.

Warshaw smirks when asked whether radio is dying in the Internet age. After every major technological advance — eight-tracks, CDs, satellite radio and iPods — radio was declared dead or dying.

Radio, Warshaw said, “is all about being local. It’s the original social media.”

Warshaw grew up in Roslyn, Long Island, and after graduating from Roslyn High School , began construction of his first radio station while a student at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

“My parents are broadcasters, my uncle is a broadcaster. It’s in my blood,” says Warshaw. “Acquiring the Long Island stations is particularly exciting as I grew up listening to these stations and I’m thrilled that Connoisseur will now be operating them.”

Connoisseur Media will be the new parent company for the Farmingdale based media cluster, including: KJOY 98.3 (WKJY), B103 (WBZO), The New 94-X (WIGX) and WHLI (1100am).  The stations will continue to operate daily business under the direction of General Manager, Dave Widmer, who has managed them since 1998.  Widmer feels the sale of the four stations to Connoisseur Media will yield excellent results for the staff, listeners and advertisers alike.

“I’m proud of the success these stations and this staff have had in the Long Island market and we are looking forward to continuing that success with Connoisseur Media.” remarked Widmer.  “These stations have always had a strong commitment to serve the Long Island community, and Connoisseur Media is the kind of company that strongly believes in such commitment.

“The core values of our company remain the same - service to the community, dedication to our listeners, results for our advertisers, creating a terrific work environment, having integrity and honest dealings in all aspects of our operations, and tireless dedication to getting better,” says Warshaw.

Connoisseur Media currently owns and operates 24 stations in eight markets.