Zelus Media is selling Hot AC KMVA in the Phoenix market. Good News Broadcasting Network is acquiring the station for $1.5 million.
What We Know: Zelus Media has agreed to sell Hot 97.5 KMVA Dewey-Humboldt/Phoenix, AZ to Good News Broadcasting Network for $1.5 million. The buyer is affiliated with the Seventh Day Adventist Church and currently owns four non-commercial stations in Arizona and New Mexico. All four carry programming from the Radio74 Internationale network. Good News Broadcasting also operates LPTV stations across Arizona, California, and Washington.
What’s at Stake: This deal removes a commercial Hot AC signal from the Phoenix market. Good News Broadcasting will likely flip the format to religious programming, consistent with its existing portfolio. The buyer’s stations — 89.3 KJPN Payson, 91.9 KDHP Pinon, 89.5 KDHH Kaibito, and CP 90.9 KDHG Gallup — all reflect a faith-based mission. The $1.5 million price tag signals a modest but strategic acquisition for the nonprofit buyer.
What Remains Unclear: Zelus will retain the KMVA call letters and the station’s intellectual property, but the specifics of that arrangement remain undefined. It’s also unclear how Good News plans to integrate KMVA into its programming network. A timeline for format transition has not yet been announced.
What It Means: Zelus Media isn’t leaving Phoenix — it’s restructuring. The company retains simulcaster 103.9 KZON, Oldies “The Wow Factor” 95.1 KOAI, Hip Hop “Power 98.3” KKFR, AAA “94.9 The Zone” K235CB, and Spanish AC “Xtasis 96.1” K242BQ. Together, those five signals keep Zelus competitive across multiple formats. This sale appears to be about portfolio optimization, not retreat.
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David Hill serves as a Music Radio Editor, Columnist and Features writer for Barrett Media. A radio lifer with more than 30 years behind the mic, in the control room, and in the program director’s chair, David’s career spans influential stops at brands such as WIYY 98 Rock, WBAL-AM, and 99X. He has worked across multiple formats and ownership groups, including iHeartMedia and Cumulus Media, developing talent, breaking music, and navigating every major industry shift from diary to PPM and terrestrial dominance to streaming disruption. When he’s not writing or analyzing the industry, Dave runs The Tune Farm, a marketing firm built to help artists and brands grow audience the same way great radio always has—by creating connection, not just impressions. He can be reached at David@BarrettMedia.com.