This longtime Modesto radio station has stopped the music. Why its Valley owners decided to sell
Longtime locally owned Central Valley radio station The Vine, known for playing the nostalgic hits of yesteryear, has been sold and stopped broadcasting.
Late last month, the independent station, part of Modesto-based Threshold Communications, announced the sale of KVIN 920 AM, known as The Vine, to a Punjabi broadcaster out of the Bay Area. Since the 1990s, local radio stalwarts The Vine and The River both have broadcast out of Threshold’s Emerald Avenue studio headquarters.
Co-owners Jim Bryan and Doug Wulff, Modesto-based business partners in various radio projects since the early 1980s, remain owners of The River, a popular independent classic hits station. But as of this week, sister station The Vine has switched to Punjabi-language content.
The Vine was launched by Bryan and Wulff in 1997, when they bought the station then known as KCDR La Bonita, a Spanish-language music broadcaster. The station started on 1390 AM, and then in 2002 moved to 920 AM. For the past decade, it also has simulcast across Stanislaus County on 92.3 FM and for the past four years on 107.1 FM in San Joaquin County.
The sale came after about three years of interest from Punjabi American Media, Bryan said. The new owners now control 920 AM, 92.3 FM and 107.1 FM on the dial and have been making the transition to on-air Punjabi programming this week.
Bryan said he wishes he could have found a local buyer who would keep the music going, but health issues and their advancing age meant it was the time to sell.
“It’s never easy to make this kind of decision,” he said of The Vine sale. “We never put (the station) up for sale, but (Punjabi American Media) kept calling. Eventually, we just decided that AM radio stations aren’t worth as much as they used to be. So with values going down, we thought we should sell.”
The duo will continue to operate The River, KRVR 105.5 FM which they’ve run since its Modesto launch in 1994. That station started its life as the Valley’s premier smooth jazz station and in 2006 was named “Smooth Jazz Station of The Year” award by the industry publication Radio & Records.
But a few years later, around 2009, The River changed its format to classic hits and started focusing on songs from the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s, which the station still plays today. The company has a staff of about seven, including full-time and part-time workers. Bryan and Wulff, now in their 60s, both still work at the studio daily and DJ on separate weekend days as well as serving as the music, programming, operations and general managers of the station.
Bryan said fans of The River shouldn’t expect any on-air changes to the station. It remains one of the only independently owned commercial music stations in the region.
The majority of the Valley’s most well-known radio properties are split between the two of the largest national radio corporations. Cumulus Media operates Kat Country 103.3 FM, KWIN 97.7/98.3 FM, KHOP 95.1 FM, The Hawk 104.1 FM and more, while iHeartMedia owns Sunny 102.3 FM, Rock 96.7 FM, The Big Dog 92.9 FM and others.
The deal to sell The Vine has been in the works since November. Last week, the radio station posted farewells to its listeners on its website and social media accounts, announcing the sale and change in format.
Bryan said they had hoped to sell to a new owner who would continue the oldies format, playing the hits and standards from the 1950s and ‘60s. The Vine has been the Graffiti Summer station for several years thanks to its roster of songs from the classic car era.
Also, while they have no immediate plans to sell The River, the radio partners said that down the road, they would be open to local inquiries for that station as well.
“It’s meant everything to own (these stations). Doug and I always dreamed of having our own stations one day,” Bryan said. “This was our dream. We’ve really enjoyed it here and found success in Modesto and are we’re so thankful for that. We appreciate (the audience) so much, they’ve been wonderful.”
This story was originally published May 3, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
