Longtime Owner Sells Unique Station to Magnum Media (Updated)

Magnum Media has reached a deal to buy WCFW/105.7 (Chippewa Falls) from Roland Bushland, who signed on the station in 1968.

The $600,000 deal, filed with the FCC on June 20, also includes full-in translator W256AE/99.1 (Chippewa Falls).

“It had been my dream as a young boy to own a radio station. I was able to accomplish it by building WCFW from the ground up putting it on the air on my wife Pat’s birthday, October 20, 1968. Pat and I have worked together for 54 years to make WCFW successful and a great part of the Chippewa Valley,” Bushland said in a news release.

Pat Bushland said Rol built the towers and installed all of the equipment, and engineer Jon Zecherle helped keep the station on the air.

WCFW carries a broad Light Adult Contemporary format that was described in a 2016 Volume One magazine article, which notes that Bushland paid $25 for its now-iconic “This is WCFW, Where FM Means Fine Music” jingle decades ago. Here is a sampling of the station from 2016:

“We have been primarily a music station along with local high school sports with Hayes Callaghan who does play-by-play and Dave Hanson who does color. Rol and I want to thank all of our faithful listeners and advertisers as we look forward to handing the reins over to Magnum Media and wish them all the best,” Pat Bushland said.

WCFW’s 25kW/93m (class C3) signal, which it has used since an upgrade when moving from its original home on 105.5 in 1997, provides city-grade service to Eau Claire. Mid-West Management and iHeartMedia both operate six stations in the city.

Magnum currently runs 24 formats in six Wisconsin markets, the closest being La Crosse and Tomah.

Dave Magnum says he has been buying parts from Bushland Radio Specialties since he and his late wife entered the business in 1991.

“My daughter-in-law, Chelsey, marvels at the invoices we receive from Rollie because he meticulously writes out in cursive each part name and corresponding number. Rollie and I have probably done over a hundred small transactions with each other spanning three decades. Our perfect record with each other is making this big transaction a breeze,” Dave Magnum said.

Son Reid Magnum also praised Rollie Bushland’s work.

“When inspecting the 105.7 tower, that Mr. Bushland built by hand, and the transmitter building, which he keeps as neat as a pin, and learning about all of the history, he had a tear in his eye and was justifiably brimming with pride. My dad has taught me to really respect a person’s life’s work. I’ll never forget that inspection day with Rollie and Pat,” Reid Magnum said.

Magnum Media is owned 88% by Dave Magnum and 8% by Reid Magnum.

This article was originally published on June 20 and was updated on June 22 with quotes from a news release.