H&W; to Buy 2 Radio Stations in Los Angeles

H&W; Communications Inc. of Honolulu has agreed to buy Los Angeles radio stations KTNQ-AM and KLVE-FM for an undisclosed amount, the company announced today.

The purchase of the two Spanish-language radio stations from Los Angeles-based K-LOVE Radio Broadcasting Inc. is subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission.

Elias Liberman, who owned the stations with his brothers, Julio and Jose, said in a statement that he is confident of the new owners’ “dedication to serving the Hispanic people as the Libermans have done during the past 13 years.”

A K-LOVE spokesman said a suit filed recently by Malrite Communications Group Inc., a Cleveland-based broadcasting conglomerate, would not affect the proposed sale because there is no current contract. Malrite sued the Libermans, charging that they breached a contract to sell the two radio stations to Malrite for $36 million.

The Libermans, who previously owned XEGM-AM, bought KLVE-FM in 1976 and KTNQ-AM in 1979, transforming them into Spanish-language stations with an emphasis on sports.

The stations carry Spanish-language broadcasts of Dodger and Angel baseball games and of Raider and Ram football games.

H&W; Communications, whose major shareholder is Rep. Cecil Heftel (D-Hawaii), owns five radio stations in Chicago, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Honolulu as well as television stations in Maui and Hilo, Hawaii.