Nonprofit news and opinion website Broad + Liberty has filed papers with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) asking it to approve a deal to acquire a Bucks County-based radio station.
The station, WBCB AM 1490 and FM 107.3, is being donated to B & L Media Ventures, which is owned by Broad + Liberty, according to the FCC filing.
The Levittown-based radio station, a longtime broadcaster on Bucks, Mercer and Burlington Counties airwaves, was owned by Progressive Broadcasting, Inc. In turn, Progressive Broadcasting was owned by Republican businessman Pasquale “Pat” Deon Sr., 65, and award-winning Eagles announcer “Voice of the Eagles” Merrill Reese. Reese, 82, is expected to continue his involvement with the radio station. Deon recently stepped down from his position as chairman of the SEPTA Board. He is vice chair of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Deon recently joined the board of Quarterhill Inc. an AI tolling, logistics, and enforcement company.
The owner of Progressive Management, his business holdings include multiple industries: real estate, energy, hospitality, and regulated gaming. He is also the Executive Chairman of SportsContentCo, LLC, a data supplier to the sports betting industry and serves on the board of Independence Health Group, Pennsylvania’s largest insurance company, according to an announcement from Quarterhill.
A donation agreement filed with the FCC gave the radio station a value of $2.35 million. The station’s format includes news, sports, talk, and entertainment shows.
Broad + Liberty CEO Terry Tracy said the outlet does not plan to make changes to the radio station’s format, so listeners and employees should not worry.
“WBCB is not just a radio station based in Bucks County, it’s a civic institution,” Tracy told DVJournal. “Our commitment is that it remains that way, vibrant and viable, to the benefit of the community it serves for many years to come.”
While the WBCB deal is inked, it awaits FCC approval.
According to public records, B & L Media Ventures now owns all the station’s assets, equipment, and furnishings at the Levittown station site. It is seeking approval for the transfer of all FCC licenses, permits and other rights.
Candace Cabanas, a Republican who ran for state representative for the Levittown area, said she appreciated her interviews with WBCB talk show host Pat Wandling.
Wandling, who hosts “Speak Your Piece,” “has been an experienced and fair voice helping some of us promote our voices politically,” said Cabanas.
“We need more nonbiased radio focused on our area,” said Bucks County resident Jamie Walker.
Broad + Liberty began in 2019 with a mission to set forth conservative and libertarian views that are not present in most left-leaning Philadelphia media. Its contributors include investigative journalists, opinion commentators, and policy experts.
Broad + Liberty also partnered with PoliticsPA, a statewide political news website, taking its presence to Harrisburg and statewide. Broad + Liberty’s “Voices of Reason” podcast with PoliticsPA and the “Broad + Liberty Power Hour” are broadcast on WBCB.
Delaware Valley Journal and Broad + Liberty are separate publications. However, they sometimes share content.
