Connoisseur Media

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Connoisseur Media LLC is an American media company. It is based in Westport, Connecticut and led by Jeff Warshaw. As of May 2024, Connoisseur operates 13 radio stations and digital assets in four U.S. markets: Frederick, MD, Nassau-Suffolk, NY, New Haven, CT and Metro Fairfield County, CT: [1]

Contents

History

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, Warshaw founded Connoisseur Communications Partners LP, which he later sold to Cumulus Broadcasting in 2000 for $258 million.[ citation needed ] [2] In 2004, he and CFO Mike Driscoll formed Connoisseur Media which operates 13 radio stations and various digital markets. The first company's acquisition involved several stations in Bloomington, Illinois with capital from hedge fund Farallon Capital, along with its founders. Through a combination of start-ups, move-ins, and acquisitions, Connoisseur Media expanded. It maintains a significant presence in the New York City media market.

It was announced in July 2015 that Petrus Holding Company LP had invested in Connoisseur Media. [3]

On March 27, 2019, Connoisseur Media announced that it would acquire WFRE and sister station WFMD from the Aloha Station Trust in exchange for transferring its Erie, Pennsylvania cluster to iHeartMedia. [4] [5] The sale closed on May 21, 2019. [6]

On April 14, 2022, Connoisseur Media made an offer to purchase the assets of Atlanta, GA based Cumulus Media (Symbol: CMLS) including its debt. Cumulus has a national footprint as well as the owners of Westwood One, a satellite driven company which provides programming to non-affiliated entities. The stock price of CMLS popped 39% at the announcement.

On July 26, 2024, Connoisseur Media announced on their website that they are to sell their Fredrick, MD cluster, after a 5 year run with the company. This includes WFRE and sister station WFMD.

Company portfolio

Radio

Bay Shore, New York

Bridgeport, Connecticut

Frederick, Maryland

Hempstead, New York

New Haven, Connecticut

Patchogue, New York

Smithtown, New York

Southport, Connecticut

Westport, Connecticut

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Lisa Wexler is a Connecticut Probate Judge, an attorney, an award-winning talk radio host and the creator and executive producer of The Lisa Wexler Show, which airs weekdays 10 a.m. - noon on WICC 600, a Connoisseur media station. On May 1, 2023, Law Day, Lisa was given The Liberty Bell Award by the Greater Bridgeport Bar Assn for "promoting civic engagement and respect for the law." Lisa Wexler is currently serving her fourth term as Probate Judge for the Westport/Weston Judicial District in Connecticut. In 2022, she won as a Democrat, having won the prior three elections as a Republican. She won with over 72 percent of the vote. In 2013, She ran as a Republican and won in Westport by a 58 percent to 42 percent margin. In Weston, Wexler won by 55 to 45 percent. In November 2014, Lisa Wexler was re-elected as Probate Judge for a four-year term. In November 2018, Lisa Wexler was re-elected again and is currently serving a four-year term. In 2020, Lisa Wexler changed her registration to Democrat. Probate Judge Lisa Wexler Runs for Re-Election; First Time as Democrat after 3 Republican Terms.

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References

  1. ↑ "Connoisseur Media - Headquarter Locations, Competitors, Financials, Employees". www.cbinsights.com. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Jeff Warshaw: Westport's Radio Connoisseur". 06880danwoog.com. November 10, 2022.
  3. ↑ Perot Companies Go for Connoisseur Media Archived July 16, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Paul McLane, Radio World, July 15, 2015
  4. ↑ "iHeartMedia & Connoisseur Media Swap Frederick & Erie". RadioInsight. March 27, 2019.
  5. ↑ Fairfield, CJ. "Two Frederick radio stations acquired by Connoisseur Media". The Frederick News-Post.
  6. ↑ "No New Station Sales In FCC Database Tuesday Morning". All Access.
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