Ham Broadcasting is transitioning to employee ownership which will make the parent company of WKDZ, WHVO, WPKY, WEKT, Your Sports Edge, and Your Ag Edge the only employee-owned media company in Kentucky and one of five in the country.
The announcement was recently made to the employees by Ham Broadcasting President and General Manager Beth Mann, who says she can now share her life-long dream of radio station ownership with the employees of Ham Broadcasting.
click to download audioThe Employee Stock Ownership Plan, or ESOP as it is commonly known, is being administered through Menke, which also administers ESOP plans for H & R Agri-Power and many other employee-owned companies across the nation. Matthew Nels from Menke met with Ham Broadcasting employees on March 7 to unveil the details of the plan.
click to download audioMann says the decision to become an employee-owned company is truly about the employees and the communities served.
click to download audioNels says bringing the employees of Ham Broadcasting to an ownership level is great for all involved.
click to download audioMann adds it is also about the long-term future of all the employees and the company.
click to download audioNels says Ham Broadcasting joins the MENKE family of ESOPS under a model that was developed by John Menke, who is still involved in the company today.
click to download audioHe adds reaction from the employees of companies he helps to transition to employee-owned status is always positive.
click to download audioMann adds the decision to become an ESOP ultimately means the radio stations and networks owned by Ham Broadcasting will always be a part of the communities served today and in the future.
click to download audioHam Broadcasting Company was founded by DJ. and Beth Everett with the purchase of WKDZ and WKDZ-FM in 1991. Ownership of the company transitioned to Beth Mann following the deaths of the Everetts’. Since the initial purchase of WKDZ and WKDZ-FM, Ham Broadcasting has grown with the acquisition of WHVO, WPKY, WEKT, and the formation of Your Sports Edge and the Your Ag Edge Network which make up Edge Media Group.
