Educational Media Foundation has submitted a bid for the operating license and some of the assets of KCPW, ahead of a Saturday deadline given to Wasatch Public Media, a nonprofit entity formed by the existing management of the Salt Lake City FM and AM station, to formulate its own bid.

"I can confirm that [the foundation] has proposed terms," said Joe Wrona, a lawyer representing Community Wireless of Park City, the nonprofit community group that owns KCPW and sister station KPCW.

Wrona declined to elaborate, except to say that KCPW's owner has not accepted the Christian foundation's offer and that Community Wireless also has received proposals from several other groups.

That's news to Ed Sweeney, station manager of KCPW and head of Wasatch Public Media. Sweeney said Tuesday he was under the impression that Community Wireless had accepted a proposal from Educational Media for $3.7 million for the FM and AM bands and that the group wants to find another religious organization to buy the AM band from them for $1.3 million.

"I don't have anything in writing. It's just information I've received," Sweeney said.

A woman answering the telephone at the foundation's headquarters in Rocklin, Calif., said the group would not comment.

Wrona said Community Wireless is waiting for an acceptable offer from Wasatch Public Media and expects to decide shortly after Saturday which proposal to accept.

"We had asked Wasatch Public Media all along to try to put together an offer by March 15 to purchase the Salt Lake City assets of Community Wireless," Wrona said. "And we continue to hope that we will receive such an offer."

The foundation submitted a proposal to Community Wireless on March 4. In it, Educational Media offered to pay $2.4 million in cash within 10 days of receiving approval from the Federal Communications Commission.

The offer came under the letterhead of K-Love Radio Network, a unit of the foundation. It was for the FM assets of KCPW. It suggested it would withdraw the offer if Community Wireless received a competing offer that exceeded $3.7 million for KCPW AM and KCPW FM from a Utah-based group or individual.

Sweeney said his group made a bid of $2.4 million that did not include the AM band. He was told last week that Wasatch Public Media needs to amend its bid to $3.7 million by Saturday or lose the chance to buy the National Public Radio-affiliated station.

"I'm somewhat confused. In one fax today, I received [notice] to move ahead for $3.7 million and 5 percent down and I have to have that in by March 15," Sweeney said. "We had made an offer last Friday for $2.4 million, but we have to make an adjustment to $3.7 million because we have to buy the AM [band]."

Community Wireless put the struggling KCPW up for sale in February in order to focus on KPCW, which serves Summit County and Park City.

pbeebe@sltrib.com