Connoisseur Media LLC is an American media company. It is based in

Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Located in the Gold Coast (Connecticut), Gold Coast along the Long Island Sound, it is northeast of New York City and is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connec ...

and led by Jeff Warshaw. As of May 2024, Connoisseur operates 13 radio stations and digital assets in four

U.S The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. markets: Frederick, MD, Nassau-Suffolk, NY, New Haven, CT and Metro Fairfield County, CT:

History

Founder and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

, Jeff Warshaw built his first station while still a student at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1993, Warshaw founded Connoisseur Communications Partners LP, which he later sold to Cumulus Broadcasting in 2000 for $258 million. In 2004, he and CFO Mike Driscoll formed Connoisseur Media which operates 13 radio stations and various digital markets. The first company's acquisition involved several stations in

Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census showed the city had a population of 78,680, making it the List of municipalities in Illinois, 13th-most populous ci ...

with capital from hedge fund Farallon Capital, along with its founders. Through a combination of start-ups, move-ins, and acquisitions, Connoisseur Media expanded. It maintains a significant presence in the New York City media market. It was announced in July 2015 that Petrus Holding Company LP had invested in Connoisseur Media. On March 27, 2019, Connoisseur Media announced that it would acquire WFRE and sister station WFMD from the Aloha Station Trust in exchange for transferring its

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fifth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in Northwestern Pen ...

cluster to

iHeartMedia iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...

. The sale closed on May 21, 2019. On April 14, 2022, a group led by Warshaw made an unsolicited offer to acquire

Cumulus Media Cumulus Media, Inc. is a broadcasting company of the United States and is the second largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States ahead of Audacy and behind iHeartMedia iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdi ...

for $1.2 billion including debt, and take the company private; the offer was rejected by Cumulus, who believed that it was undervalued. On July 26, 2024, Connoisseur Media announced the sale of WFRE and WFMD to Local Daily Media for $4.275 million. In May 2025, Connoisseur Media announced its intent to acquire

Alpha Media Alpha Media LLC is a radio broadcasting company based in Portland, Oregon, and led by Bob Proffitt. The group does business under the Alpha Media name. It was formed from the merger of Alpha Broadcasting, L&L Broadcasting, and Main Line Broadc ...

for an undisclosed amount, and entered into a transitional

local marketing agreement In North American broadcasting, a local marketing agreement (LMA), or local management agreement, is a contract in which one corporation, company agrees to operate a radio station, radio or television station owned by another party. In essence, it ...

with all of its stations. The merger will expand the company to 218 stations. Warshaw stated that the acquisition would improve the company's scale, and " ive itall the ingredients to be a highly successful local media company for many years to come."

Company portfolio

Radio

Bay Shore, New York Bay Shore is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Administrative divisions of New York#Town, Town of Islip, New York, United States. It is situated on the South Shore (Long Island), South Shore of Long Island, adjo ...

* WWWF-FM (103.1 The Wolf) - Country Music

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...

* WEZN-FM (Star 99.9) - Hot Adult Contemporary * WICC (WICC 600 AM and 95.9 FM) - Talk Radio

Hempstead, New York The Town of Hempstead is the largest of the three towns in Nassau County (alongside North Hempstead and Oyster Bay) on Long Island, in New York, United States. The town's combined population was 793,409 at the 2020 census. It occupies the s ...

* WHLI (104.7 WHLI) - Oldies * WKJY (KJOY 98.3) - Adult Contemporary

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

WPLR WPLR (99.1 MHz, also known as "99.1 PLR" or Connecticut's No. 1 Rock Station). licensed to New Haven, Connecticut, is a mainstream rock station owned by Connoisseur Media as of May 10, 2013. The station's playlist includes rock music from the 19 ...

(99.1 PLR) - Mainstream Rock *

WYBC-FM WYBC-FM (94.3 MHz) is an urban adult contemporary radio station, licensed to New Haven, Connecticut. The station's studios are located on the campus of Yale University. The station is owned by Yale Broadcasting Company and operated through a loc ...

(94.3 WYBC) - Urban Adult Contemporary

Patchogue, New York Patchogue ( ) is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Suffolk County, New York. The population was 12,408 at the time of the 2020 census. The Incorporated Village of Patchogue is an incorporated community in the Town (New ...

* WALK-FM (WALK 97.5) - Hot Adult Contemporary

Smithtown, New York Smithtown is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Suffolk County, New York, on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. The population was 116,296 at the 2020 United ...

* WWSK (The Shark 94.3) - Mainstream Rock Southport, Connecticut * WFOX (WICC 600 AM and 95.9 FM) - Talk Radio

WEBE WEBE (107.9 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Westport, Connecticut, carrying an adult contemporary format known as "WEBE108". Owned by Connoisseur Media, the station serves both the Greater New Haven and Fairfield County areas. T ...

(WEBE108) - Adult Contemporary

References

External links

* https://connoisseurmedia.com/ {{Connoisseur Media Radio broadcasting companies of the United States Companies based in Westport, Connecticut Connoisseur Media radio stations