Western Edge Media, LLC, backers of a local radio station that never got off the ground, declared bankruptcy Monday in the midst of owing both investors and prepaid advertisers a substantial amount of money.
In the latest debacle with the defunct media outlet, Western Edge was slated to be in court 9 a.m. Tuesday in Dickinson, however Bismarck attorney Ross Espeseth, filed a motion on behalf of the company declaring voluntary bankruptcy. The court proceeding was then called off.
Tuesday's cancelled court proceedings were to weed through the forcible eviction Western Edge received from their former office space above ESP Computers & Software Inc., on Villard Street in downtown Dickinson.
Prior to Tuesday's scheduled court hearing, the court had entered a judgment in favor of ESP as Western Edge owes the computer company about $23,000 for past rent and utilities along with rent for the months remaining on the lease.
The judgment favored ESP as Western Edge was a no-show at a previous hearing, said ESP's attorney Randall Sickler in August.
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Western Edge then appealed the judgment, requesting it be vacated, said Sickler.
As reported in a July 31 Press article, "Wild" Bill Palanuk, radio personality slated to head Western Edge's radio station Wild 105.7, said he, his mother Agnes of Dickinson, and an unnamed family friend invested a large sum of money used to purchase radio equipment for the station.
"The transmitter alone is $50,000, the antenna is another $30,000," Palanuk said. "The cable that goes up the tower, that's another almost $20,000. With the license and everything it cost right around $400,000 to get the thing on the air."
Randall Sickler, a Dickinson attorney representing one of the prepaid advertisers, said in July he believes prepaid advertisements totaled about $90,000.
According to the recent bankruptcy filing, a statement of Western Edge's financial affairs is due on Sept. 15.
A phone call to Sickler, who also represents ESP, was not immediately returned Tuesday afternoon.
Palanuk said he cannot comment at this time.
