Brookings got a new locally owned newspaper, the Brookings Beacon, out of the out-of-state corporate divestment and reacquisition of the Brookings Register last summer. Now Connecticut-base Connoisseur Media is declaring the Brookings radio market not worth its time… but it’s selling its stations directly to local operators.
Hooray for local programming! But boo for corporate Newspeak:
Connoisseur Media announced today that it has entered into an agreement to sell its Brookings, SD radio stations to Brookings Radio, LLC, locally owned and operated by Cami Powers, her husband Derrick Powers, and Chad Hogie. Brookings Radio, LLC will acquire KBRK-AM and KBRK-FM licensed to Brookings, SD, KDBX-FM licensed to Clear Lake, SD and KJJQ-AM and KKQQ-FM, licensed to Volga, SD. The transaction is pending regulatory approval by the FCC and is expected to close in early summer of this year.
This sale represents Connoisseur Media’s ongoing commitment to refining its portfolio and strengthening its presence in priority markets. It aligns with the company’s strategic roadmap established after the September acquisition of Alpha Media.
“The Brookings market did not fit into the long-term vision we set out for Connoisseur. As we pursued a potential sale, we looked for local quality operators to purchase these stations and found that the best operators in the market already worked for us! This is not the first time we have encouraged some of our local management to break into ownership so that they could continue to serve the communities we are so committed to. We are incredibly happy that Cami and her group stepped up to the challenge” said Jeff Warshaw, Founder and CEO of Connoisseur Media [Brookings Radio, press release, 2026.03.25].
Hey, darling, I’m so committed to you that I’m going to strengthen my presence with other priority girlfriends, because you don’t fit into my long-term vision. If people talked like corporations and their marketing divisions, they’d get slapped for their insulting self-contradiction.
Evidently still a priority for Connoisseur is Watertown, where Connoisseur’s acquisition of nationwide Alpha Media last September bought it six radio stations.