South Florida Sun Sentinel from Fort Lauderdale, Florida • D3

SB Thursday, April 12, 2012 SunSentinel.com Sun Sentinel 3D Deal calls for sale of 3 local radio stations 'This is a great By Marcia Heroux Pounds Staff writer opportumty. Dean Goodman, new owner plus for many," Lang said. Goodman said the radio personalities will stay. CBS said it sold the West Palm Beach stations because it is focusing on major markets. The company has sold radio stations in the mid-size Portland, and Denver markets.

"This is a great opportunity," Goodman said. He said the radio business is in a "renaissance," as it makes the move from analog to digital, as television did. Goodman is a radio pioneer in South Florida, creating radio formats including LOVE94 smooth jazz in Broward County. He co-founded the PAX-TV Network with Bud Paxson, founder of the Home Shopping Network. He left Paxson six years ago to lead GoodRadio.TV, which operates 26 local radio stations in the Midwest mpoundstribune.com, S61-243-66SO CBS Corp.

agreed Wednesday to sell three popular local radio stations, with rights to sell two more, to Palm Beach Broadcasting for $50 million. The new owner, Dean Goodman, last year bought WRMF (97.9 FM) in West Palm Beach for $16.5 million. Goodman said FCC ownership rules limit him to four FM stations in a market He plans to retain WMBX (Mix 104.1); country-music station WIRK (107.9 WPBZ (103.1 The Buzz), and the programming on WEAT (Sunny 104.3). If the FCC agrees, WHFS (106.3-FM) and WEAT would be sold, he said. CBS said it will operate the stations until Goodman finds buyers.

About 100 employees work for the four CBS stations. Brian Lang, a manager at CBS, said the stations have several radio industry veterans, including Rick Shockley of Sunny 104.3, who has been in the market for 10 years. Other talent includes WIRK's "Jeff Elliott In The Morning" and WMBX's "The Wakeup Club." "The fact that Dean is a local owner is a PATRICK FARRELLTHE MIAMI HERALD While John Kunkel will step down as Lime Fresh Mexican Grill's chief executive officer, he said he will remain involved with the brand's growth. Ruby Tuesday to buy Lime Fresh for $24M Construction jobs down 3,000 in Lauderdale, up 200 in WPB outside Florida, expanding the chain to Atlanta, Washington, DC, and Alabama "We're excited about this brand," Samuel E. Beall, Ruby Tuesday's executive chairman and chief executive officer told analysts last week.

"It represents excellent new unit growth opportunity in the high-quality fast casual sector and has the potential to create extremely good returns." Tentative plans call for expanding the brand in Florida and throughout the U.S., opening 20 Lime restaurants next year and 30 in fiscal 2014, Beall said. Lime's Florida restaurants have been achieving same-store sales growth this year ranging from high single digits to low double digits, Beall said. After the sale, Kunkel plans to focus on new restaurant ventures in South Florida He plans to open Swine Southern Table Bar in Coral Gables, a sister restaurant to South Beach's Yardbird Southern Table Bar. Swine will open this fall featuring a pork-focused menu and located in the former Les Halles restaurant space on Ponce de Leon Boulevard just south of Miracle Mile. Next on Kunkel's agenda the launch of a new fast-casual chain either late this year or early next year featuring Southeast Asian street food.

Potential locations include Miami Beach, Midtown Miami, Pembroke Pines and Plantation "We want to continue to help change the food scene in Miami," Kunkel said. "We now have the resources to move a little faster." By Elaine Walker The Miami Herald Eight years after he founded Lime Fresh Mexican Grill, John Kunkel is ready to let his baby go. Kunkel will close Wednesday on a $24 million cash deal to sell the homegrown South Beach fast-casual chain to Ruby Tuesday. The deal came after Kunkel examined various alternatives to raise capital in order to speed up growth of the brand he started in 2004. Ruby Tuesday had first entered into a licensing agreement with Kunkel about a year and a half ago, which gave them the rights to expand the Lime nationally.

"As a small operator there was no way I could roll out 50 new stores in the next year," Kunkel said. "This was the best of both worlds. They have the capital to grow the brand and the infrastructure to support the growth." While Kunkel will step down as Lime's chief executive officer, he will remain involved with the brand's growth. Kunkel's Miami-based 50 Eggs Restaurant Group will retain ownership of the original South Beach Lime location as a franchisee and that store will continue to serve as a model for franchisees and new product tests. Kunkel will also become a member of Ruby Tuesday's board of directors.

Lime currently has 16 stores, including nine in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Ruby Tuesday opened Lime's first stores By Marcia Heroux Pounds Staff writer Construction employment in the Fort Lauderdale metro area fell by 3,000 jobs, or 10 percent, to 26,700, according to a new analysis by Associated General Contractors of America released Tuesday. The West Palm Beach area gained 200 jobs. There are 49,500 construction jobs in the Broward and Palm Beach counties. At year-end, Fort Lauderdale's construction employment had fallen to 26,300, the lowest number recorded since 1992, according to association economist Ken Si-monson.

At the peak in 2007, the industry employed more than 61,000 people in the metro area. Florida's construction industry lost 16,100 jobs from February 2011 to February 2012, according to the contractors group. Statewide, the industry has 314,200 work- ers. Sean Snaith, economist for University of Central Florida, said he doesn't expect the number of construction jobs to grow this year. "It's probably one of the last sectors to field a turnaround.

We're still dealing with a housing market that's trying to find a firm bottom," he said. Projects in many school districts, municipalities and state universities are stalled by budget cuts. Government stimulus-funded public projects are coming to an end. This week, the $39.5 million Dixie Highway flyover in Deerfield Beach was finished. About 2,400 workers are still employed by the $L8 billion reconstruction of Interstate 595.

The Denver area added the most jobs: 6,300 jobs or 10 percent. mpoundstribune.com, S61-243-66SO Business briefing BMW global sales Vehicles sold, quarterly Ql, 2012: 425,528 1 100,000 2010 2011 2012 TRIBUNE NEWSPAPERS 2008 2009 SOURCE: Bloomberg Firm rolls to global sales record BRENDAN SMIALOWSKIGETTY-AFP PHOTO Flanked by millionaires and their assistants, President Barack Obama speaks Wednesday in Washington, urging a minimum 30 percent tax on those who make $1 million or more. Obama sticks to theme, again touts 'Buffett rule' Prediction: Summer gas 6 higher Although gas prices have been easing lately, the Energy Department has predicted that U.S. motorists will be shelling out an average of 24 cents a gallon more for gasoline during the peak summer driving season, defined as April through September. Peak prices will average $3.95 for a gallon of regular gasoline, up 6 percent, or 24 cents, from last year's April-September driving season, according to the agency's monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook.

The highest monthly average is expected to be $4.01 in May, the agency said. Gasoline prices will vary widely by region, with the West Coast leading the way at a predicted average of $4.20 a gallon for the peak season. Gasoline prices have been rising primarily because crude oil prices are up, but refinery closures in the Northeast are contributing, the Energy Department said. All of this pump-price pain is expected to reduce gasoline consumption by 0.5 percent this summer compared with last summer, according to the forecast. For the year, gasoline is projected to average $3.87 a gallon, implying an average annual household expenditure of $3,410, up $250 from 2011, the Energy Department said.

cent. BMW said March sales eclipsed the previous monthly record, set in June, thanks to strong showings for its 1 Series and revamped 3 Series. "These outstanding results are due to our attractive, young model range and our strategy of healthy, balanced growth across the globe," BMW sales chief Ian Robertson said in a statement. BMW, the world's largest premium carmaker by volume, said Wednesday that it enjoyed its highest first-quarter demand on the back of March sales that broke all records. Global sales of BMWs, Minis and Rolls-Royces increased 12 percent last month to 185,728 vehicles, bringing the cumulative tally this year to 425,528 vehicles, for an overall gain of 1L2 per- Poll: Americans and tax reform Americans support establishing a minimum tax rate of 30 percent on those earning $1 million or more.

Verizon to add $30 upgrade fee from hefty subsidies it had to pay Apple for the popular iPhone. Verizon Wireless said the fee, which comes into effect starting April 22, would help it "provide customers with the level of service and support they have come to expect." and Sprint Nex-tel charge $36 for Verizon Wireless will start charging customers a $30 fee for cellphone upgrades, on top of the price they pay for the new device, as the company looks to supplement its income to cover costs. The change at the biggest U.S. mobile provider follows a fourth-quarter decline in its wireless profit margins, which came under pressure Republican senators are expected to block that move. Republicans say the proposal is based on faulty economics.

Raising taxes on the wealthy won't do anything to create jobs, GOP critics argue, nor will the proposal contribute in any substantial way to reducing the federal budget deficit. "He's really trying to divert from the failure of his record, which is that he has not created jobs," Romney said Wednesday on Fox News. Buffett famously has complained that he pays a lower tax rate than does his secretary. To help make the point, several wealthy Americans showed up along with their assistants to endorse the Buffett rule, appearing onstage with Obama None of the millionaires were actually excited about paying more taxes, Obama said. But "they agree with Warren," he said.

"This should be fixed." cparsonstribune.com By Christi Parsons and seema mehta Tribune Washington Bureau President Barack Obama plugged his plan to increase taxes on millionaires yet again Wednesday, but this time with a new twist appearing alongside rich people who support his so-called Buffett rule. The proposal has become a favorite political theme for the president, who touted it in a speech last week, then again at events in Florida on Tuesday. The proposal, which is named for billionaire investor Warren Buffett, would require that people with annual income of $1 million or more pay at least 30 percent of their income in federal taxes. Democratic strategists believe the idea has a strong political punch, particularly now, when many Americans are filing their taxes. Repeatedly raising the Buffett rule also serves to remind voters that Mitt Romney, the presumed Republican presidential nom- Democrats who support the idea: 76o Republicans who support the idea: 49o Reuters poll conducted of 1,084 adults, March 8-11.

Margin of error 3.1 percentage points. inee, paid 14 percent of his income in taxes last year. Romney, like many wealthy Americans, benefited from the fact that investment income gets taxed at a lower rate than wages. Democratic leaders have scheduled a vote in the Senate for Monday on an effort to bring the Buffett rule up for consideration. THE BOTTOM LINE The worst job, as rated by CareerCast.

The job search site ranked 200 jobs by considering such factors as work environment, income, stress levels, market outlook and physical demands. Software engineers, who earn $88,000 in mid-level positions, have the best jobs, writing code for operating systems and apps at companies such as Apple and Facebook, according to CareerCast. Lumberjacks deal with high unemployment and constant danger..