At one point in Patchen Barss’s new biography of Roger Penrose, we find the author seated at a table in the Oxford flat of his subject, about to interview him for the first time. It is 2018.

Salem agreed to sell the seven stations to EMF for a total of $80 million. The acquisitions are pending FCC approval. If granted, EMF expects to take control of the stations on Feb. 1 via an LMA. The ...