Cherry Creek Radio based in Denver, which is selling three Billings radio stations this month, hopes to sell its remaining Billings station, KYYA or “hit radio” Y-93 FM, by the end of the year.

“We have no interest in operating just one station in Billings. We’re working on a deal that will get the station sold,” said Cherry Creek Radio President and Chief Executive Joe Schwartz in Denver.

Schwartz said he could not disclose who the potential buyer is or the terms of the sale.

On Nov. 20, Connoisseur Media of Westport, Conn., purchased news/talk radio KBLG-AM and KRZN-FM “The Zone.” It will start programming KRKX-FM, a classic-rock station, on Dec. 1.

However, under Federal Communication Commission rules, Connoisseur cannot buy Y-93 because that would exceed the number of FM stations it can operate in the Billings market. After these three sales are completed, Connoisseur will own four FM and one AM stations in Billings.

Radio has historically been known for job insecurity. On-air announcers and programmers, especially, are just one format change away from unemployment.

“Cherry Creek basically just said, as you know we’ve been sold to Connoisseur Media. What you don’t know is Connoisseur Media has decided not to retain any of you,” said KBLG program director Ken Adelblue, one of eight employees, mostly on-air announcers, who were told last week they no longer had jobs.

Having logged more than 25 years in the radio business, Adelblue said he doesn’t blame Cherry Creek for selling the stations, and he is grateful the company offered severance pay through the end of 2009.

“It’s a fact of life. Things change. One door closes, and another door opens,” he said.

Connoisseur’s regional general manager, Cam Maxwell of Billings, said his company actually created positions for half of the Cherry Creek employees working in operations and sales because his existing staff could have done the work.

“We only had eight positions, and we filled them,” Maxwell said.

By the end of November, Connoisseur will own two radio facilities at 101 Grand Ave. and 2075 Central Ave. and four transmitters. Maxwell said they will continue to operate that way for at least another year, but eventually the studios will be combined, probably at the Central Avenue location.

No permanent format changes will be announced until a market survey is completed in a month or two, he said.

Calling the layoffs painful, Schwartz said Cherry Creek wasn’t making money in the highly competitive Billings broadcast market and had to sell out.

“I hated doing it,” he said. “It’s one of the best staffs we have.”

By the end of the month, Cherry Creek will own 61 radio stations in eight states, including Y-93 in Billings, which is being sold. One-third or 22 of the broadcast properties are in Montana. Cherry Creek Radio is keeping its remaining stations and employees in Butte, Great Falls, Helena, Missoula and Sidney, Schwartz said.

“Absolutely. We’ve owned those stations for years,” he said.

Contact Jan Falstad at jfalstad@billingsgazette.com or 657-1306.