Connoisseur Media
Connoisseur Media is an American media company based in Westport, Connecticut and led by Jeff Warshaw. Connoisseur operates 39 radio stations and digital assets in 11 markets across the U.S. with a focus on the New York City media market, including Long Island, Connecticut and New Jersey.
History
Connoisseur Media Founder and CEO, Jeff Warshaw built his first station while still a student at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1993, Jeff founded Connoisseur Communications Partners LP, a 39 station group which he later sold to Cumulus Broadcasting in 2000 for $258 million. In 2004, Jeff and CFO Mike Driscoll formed Connoisseur Media which now operates 42 radio station brands and digital assets in 12 markets. The first acquisition of the company involved several stations in Bloomington, IL with capital from hedge fund Farallon Capital, along with its founders. Through a combination of start-ups, move-ins, and acquisitions, Connoisseur Media expanded rapidly over the last several years and maintains a significant presence in the New York City media market. The company owns and/or operates radio stations in the cities of Billings, Montana, Bloomington, Illinois, Erie, Allentown and Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, Wichita, Kansas, Long Island, New York, Trenton, New Jersey, and Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven and Stamford, Connecticut.
It was announced in July 2015 that Petrus Holding Company LP invested in Connoisseur Media. [1]
Company Portfolio
Radio
- WTKZ (ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley)
- WBYN (AM) (ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley) (licensed to Lehighton, PA)
- WBZO (103.1 Max FM)
- KYYA (KYYA 730)
- KBLG (ESPN Radio 910)
- KRKX (Sky 94.1)
- KRZN (The Zone 96.3)
- KWMY (My 105.9)
- KPLN (Planet 106.7)
- WEZN-FM (Star 99.9)
- WEEX (ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley)
- WODE-FM (The Hawk 99.9)
- WWYY (Spin 107) (licensed to Belvidere, NJ)
- WFNN (The Fan 1330)
- WJET (Jet Radio 1400)
- WTWF (The Wolf 93.9)
- WXBB (BOB 94.7)
- WRKT (Rocket 101)
- WRTS (STAR 104)
- WMMW (WMMW 1470)
- WPLR (99.1 PLR)
- WWSK (The Shark 94.3)
- WFOX (95.9 The Fox)
- WSNG (WSNG 610)
- WWCO (WWCO 1240)
References
- ↑ Perot Companies Go for Connoisseur Media Paul McLane, Radio World, July 15, 2015