Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc., a Twin Cities-based broadcaster since 1923, is expanding its Minnesota profile through a deal to acquire 16 radio stations in central and northern Minnesota.
 
Hubbard announced Thursday that it has entered into an asset purchase agreement with Omni Broadcasting Company, which will enable Hubbard to increase its Minnesota footprint by operating radio stations in the Alexandria, Bemidji, Brainerd and Wadena markets.
 
Financial terms of the deal with Bemidji-based Omni were not disclosed.
 
No programming or personnel changes are expected at the new Hubbard stations, which employ about 100 people. The transaction is scheduled to close following FCC review and approval.
 
“Hubbard Broadcasting is deeply committed to local radio and to Minnesota, and this is a great opportunity to expand the company’s presence into some wonderful local communities,” Virginia “Ginny” Morris, chair and CEO of Hubbard Radio, said in a prepared statement. “We have long admired Lou Buron and Mary Campbell, whose stations have been nationally recognized for both excellence in programming and commitment to local community service.”
 

Buron, a St. Paul native, is president of Omni Broadcasting, which he started in 1988. “We believe that our stations could not be in better hands,” Buron said in a news release. “Hubbard Broadcasting will be able to provide significant scale and growth potential to these stations, which well-positions our customers, employees and listeners for the future.”
 
In conjunction with this acquisition, Hubbard is increasing the responsibilities of Dan Seeman, vice president and market manager for Hubbard Radio in Minneapolis-St. Paul. His new title becomes vice president and regional manager of Minnesota radio operations for Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc.
 
The current leadership of Omni will report to Seeman as the new stations are merged into Hubbard. Seeman will continue to oversee operations of three Twin Cities stations—KS95, myTalk 107.1 and 1500 ESPN—as well as the Hubbard Radio Network, which distributes talk radio content to subscriber stations in Minnesota and North Dakota.
 
Three generations of the Hubbard family have been involved in the broadcasting business. In recent years, the Hubbards have done major radio acquisitions that have elevated their impact nationally. Hubbard Radio currently operates stations in six major metro markets beyond the Twin Cities. Those stations are in Chicago, Cincinnati, Phoenix, Seattle, St. Louis and Washington, D.C.