Barry Leffler, General Manager of NBC-17, has purchased a minority ownership share in WCHL and plans to purchase complete ownership, according to a release sent out by the station this afternoon.
Here’s the statement:
LEFFLER PURCHASES SHARE OF WCHL, WITH
PLANS FOR FUTURE PURCHASE OF ALL1360WCHL, Chapel Hill’s only local radio station, has sold minority ownership in the company with plans to sell complete ownership at a later date to Barry Leffler, currently the General Manager of NBC-17 (WNCN-TV). The announcement of the sale effective today (October 2) was made by the station’s long time and current majority owner, Jim Heavner.
Leffler will assume the roles of CEO and Managing Partner with Heavner continuing as Chairman.
“This is a major and, I think, historic move for Chapel Hill-Carrboro’s radio station,†said Heavner. “It represents the culmination of a process to which I committed when we returned WCHL to the community in 2002 to provide for long term local ownership. It is impossible for me to imagine a more capable successor than Barry Leffler, who brings a lifetime of broadcast experience, personal leadership, creativity and commitment to WCHL and this community.â€
“I am grateful for this opportunity. WCHL has a unique legacy of service which is only fitting for this unique community,†said Leffler. “Our need to communicate has not changed, but communications media are changing. And it is happening rapidly. This presents us with enormous opportunities to develop integrated local media to create a new “medium of record†for Chapel Hill-Carrboro and the growing surrounding areas. That is my objective.â€
“WCHL is a great local radio station for today. Our goal is to use its wonderful resources and reputation for quality as a platform to build the new community medium for tomorrow,†Leffler added. “To have Jim Heavner as a partner during the coming years of transition gives us the combination of his history and success and my commitment to make what we do an integrated component of community life.â€
Leffler will be leaving his post as President and General Manager of WNCN-TV (NBC17), which he has led since 2005. Under his leadership, the station went through the largest expansion of a local television station in the country and transitioned its business plan to better serve the community on multiple platforms. Leffler and the station have been innovative and pioneering in the area of hyper-local news coverage and distribution.
Previously, Leffler was with NBC for 14 years, serving in various capacities in Miami, London and New York.
He is the recipient of numerous local television awards, including eight Emmys for various projects at WNCN, WTVJ and WSVN, and both the silver and gold Promax Medallions for outstanding promotional efforts.Leffler is a graduate of the University of Miami with a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Communication / Marketing. He and his wife Donnabeth, also formerly of NBC, and son Josh live in Chapel Hill, NC.
WCHL has been Chapel Hill-Carrboro’s only community radio station since it was established by Roland McClamroch, then a member of the town council who became mayor. Heavner, who joined WCHL as a student announcer and McClamroch jointly owned the operation until McClamroch retired in the late 1970’s, selling his remaining ownership to Heavner.
WCHL was sold to Curtis Media in 1995 and it was moved to Durham. Heavner repurchased the station in 2002 and returned it to Chapel Hill with a commitment that WCHL would remain a local service to the community and would provide a daily news and programming service that is heavily local in character.
Most importantly, by having a strong commitment to local news coverage and a regular audience, WCHL is the community voice. This was never more evident than in the week after WCHL signed back on the air from Chapel Hill in November, 2002, when the largest ice storm in a century effectively shut down the town in an emergency that lasted for most of the month. With power out, WCHL’s around the clock reports made the station the town’s reference point for what people needed to know.
When Heavner reacquired the station, he announced his goal to continue local ownership and to operate WCHL until such time as a successor owner was found or developed, one he said would be required to be a resident of Chapel Hill-Carrboro, with the broadcast experience and desire to build on the station’s service to the community.
“This announcement,†said Heavner, “fulfills that commitment in a way that exceeds my greatest expectation. Barry Leffler is an extraordinarily talented, hard working, creative leader who is by his nature a community builder. He is just what we need to lead WCHL for the next generation.â€