WBLS (107.5 MHz.) is an urban adult contemporary FM radio station in New York City. WBLS is owned by YMF Media LLC through licensee YMF Media New York Licensee LLC, along with sister station WLIB (1190 AM). The two stations share studios in the West Village section of Manhattan, and WBLS' transmitting antenna is located on the Empire State Building.
On August 22, 2011, then-owner Inner City Broadcasting Corporation's creditors petitioned the United States Bankruptcy Court to force the firm to declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy on grounds that the company's executives failed to accept a buyout offer. The filing resulted in majority control of Inner City being taken over by YMF Media, owned jointly by Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Companies, and basketball legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson's Magic Johnson Enterprises. On May 21, 2012, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York approved an local marketing agreement of WBLS and WLIB by YMF Media. The sale of WBLS and WLIB to YMF Media, along with 13 other stations, was consummated on October 19, 2012 at a purchase price of $180 million.
Read more about WBLS: Early History, Urban Radio Pioneer, Notable Personalities, In Popular Culture